Blackburn Rovers fans cause surprise as Leeds United player targeted
Beren Cross was left surprised after Blackburn Rovers fans seemed to target Leeds United ace Joe Rothwell with boos in their Championship clash on Saturday due to his history with the club.
The Whites ended up losing the game 1-0 on 30 November and now find themselves sitting in second place in the Championship.
Rothwell exited Ewood Park back in 2022 on a free transfer so that he could join Bournemouth, who found themselves promoted to the top flight. Since then he’s been loaned out, which is why he ended up as part of Daniel Farke’s team this season.
Reporting via his personal X account (30 November), Leeds Live journalist Cross shared his surprise at the fans’ reactions to the midfielder’s return.
“Some boos for Rothwell from the locals. Assumed he had left on good terms,” he wrote.
Joe Rothwell has been a standout player for Leeds United this season
Since both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev found themselves sidelined for extended periods due to their respective injuries, the partnership of Rothwell and Ao Tanaka has been allowed to blossom.
The midfield duo have much more of an attacking nature to the way they play, which has allowed the West Yorkshire outfit to be much more free-flowing in both attack and defence.
Since their integration into the squad, Leeds’ fortunes have turned around and while they may lose some defensive stability due to the defensive ability of Gruev and Ampadu, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk are more than capable of holding down the fort.
Rothwell’s set-pieces have been a sight to behold at Elland Road this season, with his corner deliveries even managing to break the Whites’ corner-scoring drought.
Only time will tell what the future holds for the on-loan ace but, if the Whites gain Premier League promotion this season, it’s hard to see why they wouldn’t want to bring him in permanently.
In other Leeds United news, the club have made a bold attempt to sign a Premier League player in January.
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