Aston Villa Opinion: Lions should not hesitate to sign Kemar Roofe this summer
According to claims from Football Insider, newly-promoted side Aston Villa are plotting a sensational swoop on Leeds United for attacker Kemar Roofe, with the Lions looking to build a squad capable of beating the drop in the Premier League.
Premier League outfit Newcastle United were also credited with an interest in Roofe back in the January transfer window and the 26-year-old versatile attacking midfielder is likely to be a man in demand this summer after his stellar run of form in the Championship this past season. (h/t Football Insider)
Roofe has only 12 months left on his contract with Leeds United and he is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal at Elland Road, meaning that the Whites would need to make a call on his future sooner or later.
Leeds currently face a fight to keep hold of several of their prized assets after missing out on promotion and Roofe was one of their standout performers this season.
The 26-year-old missed large chunks of the campaign due to injury but he still finished the season as the top-scorer at Elland Road with 15 goals to his name. Roofe scored a thrilling last-minute winner in a 3-2 victory over Villa in the Championship back in December and Lions manager Dean Smith would be well aware of the kind of damage he can cause.
A youth product of West Brom, Roofe barely played for his boyhood club and spent time on loan at Colchester United, Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town and Oxford United, joining the latter permanently back in 2015.
The versatile striker joined Leeds in the summer of 2016 and he has gone from strength to strength in recent times, accumulating 33 goals and 14 assists in 122 appearances for the Whites across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa put an end to their exile from the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Derby County in the playoff final at Wembley last week. The Lions took the hard way to make it back to the top-flight and, now that they are in the Premier League, Villa need to bolster their ranks with more quality.
They have already issued a massive statement of intent by releasing fringe players like Ritchie De Laet, Mile Jedinak, Albert Adomah, Tommy Elphick, Alan Hutton and a few others, meaning that a squad overhaul in very much in the air.
Question marks continue to linger over the futures of loanees Anwar El Ghazi, Axel Tuanzebe, Kortney Hause, Tyrone Mings and Tammy Abraham but Villa should also look to raid the Championship for some of the top players.
To put things into perspective, Kemar Roofe might not be a prolific No.9 but he could prove to be a useful addition to Villa’s ranks this summer. The 26-year-old doesn’t have any prior experience of playing in the Premier League but he certainly deserves a chance to prove his credentials in the top-flight, having played so well in the Championship for a number of seasons.
One of Roofe’s most lucrative traits is his versatility to play anywhere across the attacking third and also as the spearhead of the attack as a centre-forward. Predominantly a right-footed player, he is capable of operating out wide on either flank and also through the centre in a No.10 playmaking role behind the central striker.
Noted for his good burst of pace, acceleration and trickery and flair on the ball, Roofe likes to cut inside from the flanks and sets up goals with his creativity and vision. He is not a one-dimensional player by any means, though, with his tactical awareness to play between the lines and occupy the defenders in the final third making him a more complete attacker.
Roofe is not only capable of pulling the strings but his clever passing and smart movement off the ball often open up the spaces for his teammates to pull the trigger. To add to that, the 26-year-old is adept at putting away the chances with both feet and head, meaning that he possesses good enough finishing ability to lead the line as a central striker.
Aston Villa would make a grave mistake if they rely solely on Roofe to deliver the goals and keep them up in the top-flight. He is more of a versatile utility playmaking forward and it remains to be seen how he responds to the challenge of playing in the Premier League.
The Lions would definitely need to bring in a new prolific No.9 to fill in the void left by Abraham’s departure.
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With that being said, Roofe has shown signs of promise in the Championship and it won’t be much of a gamble for Aston Villa to take him to the Premier League.
