Marc Roca could be the man to bring much-needed competition and depth to the Leeds United midfield. Reports suggest that the Whites are keen to add the Spaniard to the growing list of summer recruits after the arrivals of Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen have already been announced.
The Athletic have claimed that a fee of £10m could be enough to tempt Bayern Munich into selling the out-of-favour defensive midfielder. That area of the squad is very much one that needs strengthening with the injuries to Kalvin Phillips, Adam Forshaw and Stuart Dallas highlighting the lack of depth throughout the season.
While the rumours continue to circulate regarding the future of Phillips, the potential signing of Roca would be to compete with and possibly play alongside the England midfielder rather than replace him. We have profiled the 25-year-old, considering what he has achieved, what he would bring to Elland Road and what people have said about him during his career.
READ MORE: Leeds United could solve midfield issues with Bayern Munich midfielder Marc Roca
What has he done so far?
Roca’s name isn’t a particularly well-known one outside of the fanbases of the clubs he has played for. Although, that didn’t have to be the case, especially after he made such a brilliant impression at Espanyol.
Growing up in Catalonia, he was deemed not quite good enough to play for Barcelona but their close rivals brought him to their academy when he was just 12 years old. He continued his development with Espanyol and made 51 appearances for the club’s B team between the ages of 18 and 21 before he earned a promotion to the first team.
In his four seasons with the first team, Roca became a key member of the squad and was deemed indispensable by the management after playing 70 of his side’s 76 La Liga games in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns. His influence in the team was starting to be picked up by a wider audience though, especially as he started to star for Spain’s U21 squad and a move presented itself to Bayern Munich for around £8m.
Blighted by injuries and an inability to displace the ever-reliable Joshua Kimmich in front of the defence for the Bundesliga champions, Roca struggled to make his mark in Bavaria. In his two seasons at Bayern, despite winning four trophies, he has only played 24 times with those appearances averaging out at 40 minutes per game.
Although, during that time he has gained key experience of playing at the very top level, including a handful of appearances in the Champions League and he has been able to learn first-hand from one of the very best in his position in Kimmich. Whilst not equal to minutes on the pitch, it still represents a very useful couple of years for Roca playing with several of the best players in the world as well as being taught by one of the best managers.
What would he bring to Leeds United?
Along with a mentality that he has honed during his time with one of European football’s most successful clubs, Roca would bring all-important midfield depth to Leeds. The Whites have been screaming out for some genuine cover for Phillips in the last couple of seasons and the injury he picked up against Brentford almost contributed to a disastrous relegation campaign.
While he operates in a similar position to his potential new teammate, the Spaniard is quite a different player. He is most comfortable on a football pitch with the ball at his feet where he can dictate the tempo of a game.
He is not nearly as energetic as Phillips but he does know exactly when to apply pressure to his opponents after learning the true art of the high press at the Allianz Arena. According to fbref, he is in the top seven percent in Europe for most pressures per game among defensive midfielders.
However, that wouldn’t be the biggest attribute he would bring to Elland Road if he were to be signed this summer. On far too many occasions during Leeds’ demise, there were extended periods of pure chaos which often led to the Whites conceding a bucket load of chances and ultimately losing games. Roca would bring a calming influence to the side through being a classy operator on the ball with a really strong passing ability and range.
What has been said about him?
Despite the lack of game time at Bayern, Roca came in for some very special praise from Julian Nagelsmann after he was the stand-out performer in his first start of the 2021/22 season, in a 5-0 win against Stuttgart. Speaking after the game, his manager said: "Coming in today, and playing the way he did - the way he fought, the way he gave his all, he had an extremely big impact on the game. I love players like that, who are very unselfish and show the coach that it was obviously a mistake not to play them so much.”
Nagelsmann also commented on Roca’s commitment to the cause behind the scenes. He added: "He's a guy who always gives his all in training, who also shows you sometimes that he's got that fire in his belly. He's a strong character and not a little mouse that hides away. He also speaks his mind and makes it known that he has the ambition to play even more."
Nagelsmann’s predecessor was also a big fan of Roca’s attitude despite struggling to find a way of fitting him into the Bayern starting XI. Just a few weeks into the Spaniard’s time at the club, now-Germany boss Hansi Flick said: “It generally takes a little time to know the way things work. He works very hard, has a very good professional attitude which is very positive. But the circumstances have not been ideal to integrate him. We haven't had too many training sessions with the entire squad. It's easier for the attacking players where you can rely on individual qualities. You have to train properly too.”
The German champions’ sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic is another key figure at Bayern who has been impressed by Roca’s mentality, he said: "Marc, with his attitude, is a boy we love. It's good for him and for FC Bayern."
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