Leeds United forward Tyler Roberts has played a key part in Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion charge this season.
BBC Sport pundit Richard Sneekes has fumed at West Brom for their decision to allow Tyler Roberts to join Leeds during the 2018 January transfer window following his performance during his side’s 4-0 against the Baggies last Friday.
Former Albion midfielder Sneekes was critical of the Midlands club for parting ways with the 20-year-old, who is now thriving at Elland Road under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa.
During the 2018 January transfer window, months before Albion’s relegation to the second tier, they sold Roberts to the Yorkshire outfit [BBC Sport], who at that time were sitting in midtable.
Speaking on the West Midlands Football Phone-in for BBC Radio WM (06/03/2019 at 16m), Sneekes was critical of Darren Moore for the way he set-up against Bielsa’s side and questioned why Albion let Roberts go.
“The formation from [Darren Moore], I couldn’t understand,” Sneekes told BBC Radio WM. “You play three central strikers as a front three, so where’s the width going to come from? “Adarabioyo is not a left-back. The two CM’s are slow.
“You have got players on the other side, Kemar Roofe & Tyler Roberts, who they have sold and there is not a lot you can do about it. But the kid [Roberts] ran the show. Of course, Roofe didn’t play.
“So, for £3 million to let a player like that go and then people start looking at that why did he go? Those are the things people will look at and say why didn’t we keep him.”
A year ago, Roberts would have left a Premier League club and joined a Leeds team that were going nowhere under the stewardship of Paul Heckingbottom.
But since they parted ways with the former Barnsley boss, things have changed in the most dramatic of circumstances, largely down to Bielsa’s arrival and his coaching methods.
He has transformed the Whites into a top two team, with the likes of Roberts, Pablo Hernandez, Kemar Roofe, Pontus Jansson and Kalvin Phillips all playing a part in their success so far.
They sit second in the Championship and if they end the final few months of the season on a positive note then they will earn promotion to the Premier League
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