Marc Roca was determined to leave Leeds United this summer, and he would be open to making his move to Real Betis a permanent one.
Marc Roca leaves Leeds after one year
The 26-year-old only joined the Whites from Bayern Munich last year, and there was a lot of excitement around the midfielder, who was bought as one of the players to replace Kalvin Phillips in the middle of the park.
However, things didn’t go to plan for Roca in England, as he endured a forgettable campaign, which saw Leeds relegated to the Championship, whilst he lost his place in the XI during the run-in.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard still had years left on his deal, but he secured a transfer in the summer, with Roca joining Real Betis on an initial loan.
Much to the frustration of many Leeds supporters, clauses had been included in the deals of many first-team players, enabling them to leave on a temporary basis following relegation.
Roca took advantage of that, and he has had a good start to life back in La Liga, starting all four games for his new club.
Roca was keen to move on from Leeds
And, in a fresh update, Betis’ sporting director Ramon Planes explained to Marca just how keen Roca was to make the move, which included the player rejecting interest from Saudi Arabia.
“He was desperate, he called every day. He left [Leeds] because of a good contract situation. In those countries, as we are talking about Arabia, you have to understand that they are brutal economic amounts, the difference is very big, but then you go there, and you realise how much you have lost.
“And I think he [Roca] realised he wanted to return and that’s how he told us. And I told him ‘calm down, we’re going to do it’, but Marc is a boy who’s going to give us a lot. When the possibility with Manuel was seen, he immediately told us yes, that he knew him, the season is very long, and he’s going to give us many things.”
Will Leeds miss Marc Roca?
The reality is that most fans will be annoyed by the players who left on loan, and you can understand why. They see it as the players jumping ship at the first opportunity, on deals that didn’t really suit Leeds. Of course, the ultimate blame for this lies with the previous regime, who allowed this to happen by putting it in the contracts.
But, it’s not a good look for players like Roca, who had one bad season for Elland Road and then departed.
In truth, Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamara look upgrades on Roca, and there won’t be too many who are disappointed that the Spaniard is no longer in the midfield.
What next for Leeds?
All connected to Leeds will be relieved that the window is open, and whilst there was a huge turnover of players, they will be pleased with how the squad is looking.
The international break has come at the right time for Daniel Farke, who will welcome the chance to work with the majority of his squad over the next ten days or so without any distractions.
Leeds are back in action after the international break with a tough trip to Millwall.