MOT View: Orta proved Bielsa wrong over multi-million player exit from Leeds in 2019
Kemar Roofe’s exit from Leeds United last summer sparked a lot of bemusement among supporters of the Yorkshire club.
The 27-year-old had played a key role in Leeds’ rise during his time at Elland Road and even impressed during Marcelo Bielsa’s debut season as he scored 15 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions.
However, with the attacker entering the final year of his contract last summer, director of football Victor Orta took the decision to cash in on him while they still could.
According to The Sun, Anderlecht paid £7million to sign Roofe and Bielsa admitted that he “would be stupid” to sell a player who’d bee so vital for him in the 2018/19 campaign.
But since that move has been completed, Orta’s decision to sell Roofe rather than hand him a new contract has only proven Bielsa wrong. Leeds were not “stupid” at all to get rid of the ex-West Brom attacker.
Roofe has made just 16 appearances in all competitions for Anderlecht since heading to Belgium.
Yes, he’s scored seven goals and almost has a ratio of scoring in every other appearance but the fact is, he has spent as much of the season sidelined with injury than he has been fit.
Roofe already had an ankle injury when he arrived in Brussels after his multi-million-pound transfer was completed and had to wait until September 25 to make his debut.
He then started 13 league fixtures in a row for Anderlecht before another injury halted his campaign, but this time it was a calf injury.
Meanwhile, Leeds have done a lot better without Roofe than they did with him.
As it stands, the Whites are top of the Championship, seven points clear of third with nine games to play amid the current coronavirus-enforced suspension of fixtures.
Leeds sold an injury-prone forward in the summer for £7million, kept their faith in Bielsa to utilise Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah within his system and the results have spoken for themselves.
While Nketiah has since returned to Arsenal and replaced with Jean-Kevin Augustin, who is yet to start a game and has his own injury issues, you get the sense that even if Bamford suffered an injury, the Whites would be fine with Tyler Roberts up top.
Roofe remains a popular former player among Leeds fans and the decision to sell him must not have been taken lightly.
But there’s no denying the club is in a better place now.
In other Leeds United news, this Leeds player has sent a message to Paul Pogba on Instagram.