talkSPORT pundit risks anger of Brighton fans as he sends Leeds message to Ben White
Jermaine Beckford has admitted he's very excited at the prospect of watching Leeds United in the Premier League next season.
The talkSPORT pundit also wants to see centre-back Ben White back at Elland Road and sent out a message that will delight Leed fans.
Talking on White & Sawyer Show (talkSPORT, Thursday, 12.15pm), Beckford said, "I’ve watched Leeds a lot and I’m a huge fan. I’m probably more excited than a lot of people about the next season.
"This is a side that finished 13th in the Championship, they were a mediocre side. Bielsa came in two seasons ago and the first game back you could tell it was completely different.
"The intensity was different, the positional sense of the players was totally different from anything we’d seen before."
Stand-in host Max Rushden then moved on to talk about Ben White and asked if Beckford wanted to send a message or an impassioned plea to the player to convince him to move to Leeds.
Beckford risked the anger of Brighton fans everywhere when he just said, “Hashtag free Ben White."
Whether Ben White signs or not, you could never argue that Leeds fans haven't made it clear where they stand.
The #FreeBenWhite has been trending on Twitter for days, with Leeds fans even putting banners at the Amex and on motorway bridges.
Understandably, Brighton fans have been left perplexed and annoyed in equal measure.
It must really wind them up to have a team just up from the Championship making claims on their player – even though they hadn't really heard of him before he landed at Elland Road.
So far, Brighton have resisted all attempts from Leeds to sign their player, while the Whites have made him their top target for the summer.
You can understand why. White came out of nowhere last season to help Leeds to the best defence in the Championship.
Keeping the partnership with White and Liam Cooper together could be key to a solid start in the top flight.
In other Leeds United news, MOT View: Big move could be close as Leeds pod claims £20m-rated striker has been at Thorp Arch