Aapo Halme has left Leeds United, joining newly-promoted Barnsley on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee.
He leaves after 18 months at the club, having originally joined from HJK Helsinki in January 2018, making five appearances and scoring one goal.
The young centre-half said that the style of football he played under Marcelo Bielsa will make it an easy transition to the Yorkshire rivals.
“I’m really pleased,” he said, speaking to Barnsley’s official website. “When I first heard I was really excited and I want to help the club to reach their goals, improve as a player and get used to first-team football. I want to get some games under my belt and help the team as much as possible.”
Barnsley finished as runners-up to Luton last season, going up automatically and leaving the likes of Charlton, Sunderland and Portsmouth to battle it out in the play-offs.
Their manager Daniel Stendel, formerly of Bundesliga side Hannover 96, instils a high-press style in the mould of Jurgen Klopp. Fellow German coaches Daniel Farke and David Wagner, of Norwich City and Huddersfield Town, have both enjoyed success in the Championship in recent years.
“I think this is the style of football that I like to play,” he added. “I’ve played my whole career like this, so I’m really looking forward to it. It’s quite similar to what I played at Leeds – high intensity and lots of running.”
“I think it’s a really nice club with good facilities; everything seems to be really nice so I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
