Leeds United haven’t had the best of the transfer window and pre-season so far. Losing out on defender Pontus Jansson was a big blow for the club, and it remains to be seen whether he will be replaced in the rest of the transfer window. Another issue United face is tying down some of their key players on a long term contract. Kemar Roofe is already in the final year of his deal and has been linked with a move away from the club.
Bent on Roofe situation
Last season’s top scorer for the Whites recently suffered an injury which will see him miss the start of the new season. However, Darren Bent believes that Roofe might not be even there at Leeds United come the beginning of the new campaign. The former England striker recently gave his view about Roofe’s contract situation to Football Insider and said, ”Last season he was brilliant, absolutely brilliant for Leeds.”
”He’s down to his last year, you’d think Leeds would offer him a contract now but the difficulty is when you’re in the Championship and scoring goals regularly, you’re being linked to Premier League clubs, your head can’t help but be turned. Leeds are a big football club, and he’s a fan favourite there. If Leeds get off to a bad start next season, he’s thinking: ‘I need to get into the Premier League.’ He probably wants to go there now.”
Worrying times for Leeds United
The fact that the striker is yet to commit to a new deal suggests to us that he is exploring and open to other opportunities. However, once the season starts, we don’t see him leaving Elland Road as the Premier League’s transfer window closes on the 8th of August.
Leeds United have not handled Roofe’s situation in a great manner as they shouldn’t have allowed him to enter the final year of his contract. It remains to be seen now how Leeds United will start their campaign. If they have a bad start to the season then maybe in January, the English striker might push for a move away as Bent suggested.
Given Roofe’s pace, versatility and work rate, it was not surprising to see him getting linked to a Premier League move. The striker was United’s top scorer last season after Bielsa decided to deploy him in a central role even though he was known to be a winger before that.
The following season could be an all or nothing one for the Whites. If they fail to move to the Premier League, then they are likely to lose Bielsa and their key players. Hopefully, Victor Orta’s words are right as he claimed earlier that Roofe would stay at Elland Road even though he is in the final year of his contract.
