Kemar Roofe has been fantastic during Leeds United’s first two games of the new Championship season.
When Leeds announced Marcelo Bielsa’s lineup for the opening game of the season against Stoke City, there was plenty of confusion amongst the fans with just one new signing starting and Patrick Bamford amongst those left on the bench.
Bamford became Leeds’ most expensive signing for a number of years, but Bielsa handed Kemar Roofe the chance to start against the Potters with the latter leading the line throughout pre-season while Bamford only arrived a few days before the curtain-raiser.
Roofe went into this campaign having been quite a divisive character amongst the Elland Road faithful. There have been some glimpses of incredible quality and he finished last term as the side’s top goalscorer in all competitions. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old has never managed to establish himself in one position in the side, and his performances have often drawn a lot of criticism.
However, two games into the new campaign, it appears that Roofe is starting to win his critics over in emphatic fashion. He did not score against Stoke, but he was superb against a defence that many would have probably expected to isolate the forward with little problem.
And while he did not find the back of the net on the opening day, he did not need long to open his account. Despite the win over Stoke, fans would have been forgiven for struggling to predict what result would come from their trip to Pride Park this past weekend with Derby one of the favourites for promotion.
However, Leeds dismantled Frank Lampard’s men and Roofe was at the heart of the 4-1 win. His first goal was a superbly placed header following a brilliant run in between the two defenders, while his second saw the former Oxford United man create an opportunity with some lovely footwork on the edge of the box.
Bamford now faces a major battle trying to force his way into the team. And yet, it could have been significantly different this term had Leeds come to a different decision when teams were reportedly sniffing around Roofe in the summer.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reported in July that Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers were both keen on the forward, but Leeds were determined to keep the Englishman. And that decision now appears to be a masterstroke.
Roofe’s challenge is now to maintain this brilliant start to the season. But right now, there is no question that Leeds will be patting themselves on the back for deciding to keep the forward in the summer when some of the fans probably would have considered letting him leave.
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