Latest reports convey that Kemar Roofe is going to be targeted by Premier League clubs in the January transfer window and Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Wolverhampton Wanderers are said to be monitoring the forward’s situation who has started well this season for the Whites.
Roofe, traditionally a winger, has thrived in a striker’s role this season under Marcelo Bielsa and has emerged as an essential player in the Bielsa system. It is no surprise that Premier League clubs are eyeing a move for him but if United harbour hopes of playing in the Premier League, they just can’t afford to sell someone like Roofe.
The Whites suffered a drop in form when the forward was injured recently and the Whites’ squad is anyhow thin in almost all the departments. Injury to summer signing Patrick Bamford hasn’t helped either, and he is going to be unavailable at least until January.
Crystal Palace and Southampton have struggled to score goals freely this season, and one can understand why they are after a striker. The Eagles are heavily dependent on Wilfried Zaha to create magic in the final third, and apart from him, Roy Hodgson doesn’t have any real goal threat. The Saints do have a decent amount of options in the forward position, but it seems like Mark Hughes is unhappy with the quality he has at his disposal.
What has been impressive from Roofe is how he has adapted into the new system under a new manager. The 25-year-old starts as the man upfront, but Bielsa has given him a free role in exploiting space anywhere in the final third. He is extremely hard working and is found all across the pitch. That is one of the reasons why Premier League club seems to be interested in him as they know that even if Roofe does not score regularly, his work rate cannot be questioned.
The player might feel that moving to the Premier League would be a step up in his career but Roofe should stick with Leeds until the end of the season as the Whites are themselves in with a decent shout for qualifying to the Premier League. Reports earlier came out that Bielsa could look to add another forward in the January market so selling one in the first place should be out of question and Bielsa and Co should shut down the shop for the sale of Roofe.
It would be interesting to see what kind of money would be offered by the Premier League clubs but in any case, until and unless the money is too hard to ignore, the West Yorkshire outfit should keep hold of one of their best players especially if they want to make it to the English top flight by next season.
