Leeds United must finally sell Tyler Roberts amid Graham Smyth's recent transfer update on the 22-year-old.

What's the story?

The Wales international has endured a nightmare start to the campaign thus far, scoring no goals and providing no assists, but The Yorkshire Evening Post's Smyth has insisted that a permanent exit from Marcelo Bielsa's side makes "little sense".

He said: "While Bielsa’s patience and trust are undoubtedly helpful, it’s not unreasonable to think of other action Leeds could take to benefit the player in the short term and the club in the long term. A January loan was briefly mooted midway through last season, but he stayed and enjoyed a run of a dozen Premier League starts.

"Having handed him a new contract in the summer and given that despite a relative wealth of experience he’s still only 22, letting him go permanently would make little sense. A Championship loan, however, if not in January then in the summer, would release him out from under the scapegoating and into space in which to breathe and develop."

Bielsa needs to sell him

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan has previously insisted that the £12.6m-rated forward hasn't shown enough in the Premier League to convince Bielsa that he's cut out for this level - he managed just one goal in 27 top-flight appearances all of last season, and even that came in the penultimate game against Southampton.

Whelan added: "Is he good enough? In my opinion he isn’t. I would love him to go out there and prove me wrong because I want everyone to succeed. I need him to show me more. He needs to show more fight and desire. I just do not see that."

With a total record of just eight goals and nine assists in 96 games in all competitions for the Whites, the time for waiting around to see if he can really make his mark is running out.

Leeds need to be pushing to take that next step, and Roberts has simply fallen far too behind.

Victor Orta and co will no doubt be already making plans for the upcoming January transfer window and how best to strengthen the first-team squad at Elland Road, and an area in need of desperate improvement is in Roberts' position.

Signing an upgrade on the Welshman would go a long way to ensuring that the Whites can still thrive whenever Patrick Bamford is missing, like right now for instance.

A genuine goal-scoring attacking midfielder come forward would be a welcome addition in January, and be the final nail in the coffin for Roberts' career at Leeds.

Constantly backing him to eventually come up with the goods is simply holding the Whites back.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been handed a boost before Spurs...