Leeds United have managed to not let the disappointment of relegation down to the Championship completely derail them, the mood at Elland Road at the moment ecstatic with Daniel Farke’s rejuvenated Whites third in the league.
New signings in through the door in the summer have breathed life into a team that had become stale, arrivals such as Ethan Ampadu and Joel Piroe have been crucial after joining in the off-season whilst figures already at the club such as Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter have come on leaps and bounds in the division below, registering 27 goal involvements between them.
Leeds were also effective in the summer transfer window in getting rid of deadwood at the club with many former first-team underperformers loaned out, players not deemed suitable for the demands of a promotion challenge right after being scarred by a demoralising relegation.
Marc Roca is one of those Leeds players who was shipped away on loan, loaned back out to his native Spain to play with Real Betis.
The deal to sign Roca in 2022 is now one filled with regret from a Whites perspective, the second-tier outfit now destined to sell the wantaway Spaniard for less already than what they paid to land his services just last year.
How Marc Roca performed at Leeds
Victor Orta paid £10m to secure Roca’s signing from Bayern Munich, with the fee now looking rather extortionate.
It did feel like a bargain buy at the time though, with the 27-year-old even compared to Xabi Alonso in his play style according to the Bundesliga website when featuring for the German titans – heralded as the Spaniard’s rightful heir when the former Liverpool man would hang up his boots.
Roca did show in flashes at Elland Road that he was worth splashing the cash on and warranted his former manager Julien Nagelsmann calling him “impressive” whilst in Germany, the 6-foot holding midfielder stood out against Newcastle United last December in a 0-0 stalemate – the 27-year-old winning all but one of his ground duels at St James’ Park as per Sofascore.
He was, in other games, way off the pace on the contrary. Indeed, Roca’s performance in a late season loss to Fulham angered Leeds fans who were already agitated by their club’s relegation predicament, the tough-tackling presence of the Spaniard was nowhere to be found and had been replaced by a sheepish and anxious midfielder – winning just one of his nine duels at Craven Cottage.
It’s no surprise therefore that Farke and Co were happy to see the back of Roca in the summer, loaning him out to Real Betis in La Liga after a spell where he’d cost £3.3m per goal involvement.
Former Leeds goalkeeper and current football pundit Paul Robinson stated – when the loan deal was announced – that it was smart thinking by the second-tier giants, commenting that Roca is simply “not good enough.”
Yet, the one-time Bundesliga man has managed to redeem himself in his new surroundings despite vocal critics in West Yorkshire.
How Marc Roca is playing at Betis
Still, Betis could land Roca at a cut price with Leeds just keen to get the defensive midfielder off their books.
Football Insider are reporting that the La Liga outfit could sign Roca permanently for £9m in the upcoming transfer window, a deal that would see Leeds make a loss on their flop.
This is the case even with Roca putting in some stellar displays in Spain, making 15 appearances for Betis so far this campaign with an average of 5.6 balls recovered per game.
Marc Roca at Real Betis – 23/24 | |
|---|---|
Games played | 15 |
Goals | 2 |
Assists | 1 |
Balls recovered per game | 5.6 |
Passing accuracy (own half) | 91% |
Leeds will be better off just cutting their losses at this point however, with Farke able to call upon Ampadu, Glen Kamara and many others in Roca’s position at Elland Road.
Roca will also just be content remaining in his native Spain, putting this Leeds nightmare firmly behind him.
