Amongst all the euphoria surrounding the arrival of Helder Costa at Leeds United yesterday, a departure went somewhat under the radar with under-23 defender Aapo Halme heading out of Elland Road and linking up with Barnsley on a permanent deal.

Leeds relied heavily on youth last season under Marcelo Bielsa and that brought Halme his chance in the first-team. He debuted against Bristol City and was part of the squad that defeated Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in early December. The Finnish youth international never nailed down a regular place in the side but he did enough to have some thinking he’d be involved this season.

Halme was comfortable in Leeds’ systems; he could play out from the back and his aerial ability made the Championship’s physical side manageable. But, he’s gone now and will not be a part of Leeds’ future after agreeing a permanent move to Oakwell.

Now, the door is open for one of Halme’s former under-23 teammates in the form of Pascal Struijk, a young Dutch defender who arrived at Elland Road from Ajax in 2018.

Halme’s departure surprised a few, but when you consider that it was Struijk on the bench in both legs of the play-off semi-finals, it was perhaps an indication that he’d moved ahead of the Fin in the pecking order under Bielsa despite him not making a senior appearance for the Whites.

Despite having Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper, Ben White and Gaetano Berardi ahead of him at this stage of pre-season, Struijk can take confidence from the fact that Bielsa has shown faith in youth before and with Halme out of the way, his path to a first-team regular is clearer.

Watching the impressive under-23s at Leeds last season showed just how good Struijk could be. The 19-year-old impressed as Carlos Corberan’s side won the title progressed to the final stages of the cup, with many viewing him as the better prospect when he lined up alongside Halme against Birmingham in May’s Professional Development League 2 play-off final.

The door is open for him now to make the step up into the first-team, and his competitive debut will surely come at some point during the 2019/20 campaign after the permanent departure of Halme. As aforementioned, Halme’s departure was somewhat surprising, but if Struijk steps up and fulfils the potential he has, the Finnish defender will be long forgotten despite him plying his trade just a few miles down the road.