Leeds United completed their second outfield signing of the summer transfer window earlier this week as they confirmed the arrival of Joe Rothwell.
The central midfielder has joined the club on a season-long loan from Premier League outfit Bournemouth, and follows Joe Rodon in signing ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Rothwell was part of the Southampton team that earned promotion out of the Championship, beating Leeds in the play-off final, during a loan spell at St. Mary’s during the second half of last term.
The 29-year-old maestro produced four goals in 16 league appearances for the Saints and may look to bring an attacking spark to the squad from midfield.
Leeds must now avoid a big howler during the summer transfer window by ensuring that they do not cash in on Glen Kamara, who could be a dream partner for Rothwell.
Transfer interest in Glen Kamara
Football Insider recently reported that Ligue 1 side Rennes have submitted a contract proposal to the Finland international after talks with his representatives.
The outlet claimed that a transfer to the French team has been gathering ‘momentum’ after those negotiations between the club and the players.
It also revealed that Leeds are willing to cash in on the former Arsenal youth prospect, but only for a ‘significant’ fee. It remains to be seen exactly how much they would deem to be a significant amount of money.
The Whites, who reportedly paid Rangers £5m for Kamara last summer, must now fight to keep hold of the Finnish star, as he could thrive alongside Rothwell.
Why Glen Kamara and Joe Rothwell are made for each other
They could be perfect for each other as Daniel Farke‘s midfield tank has the athleticism and defensive attributes to make up for the Cherries loanee’s struggles in those departments.
Meanwhile, Rothwell has the potential to make attacking contributions from a midfield position in a way that Kamara has so far been unable to do in West Yorkshire.
|
23/24 Championship |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
37 |
16 |
|
Goals |
0 |
4 |
|
Pass accuracy |
93% |
92% |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
4.1 |
1.1 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
58% |
39% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
54% |
14% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, the Englishman lost the majority of his battles on the deck and in the air with Southampton, whilst the Finnish maestro, who ex-boss Neil McCann claimed is “made of iron“, won the majority of his duels.
However, Rothwell did score an eye-catching four goals in just 16 games from midfield, starting just four of those matches, whilst Kamara failed to score a single goal.
In the 2021/22 campaign for Blackburn Rovers, the new Leeds signing assisted ten goals, created ten ‘big chances’, and averaged 1.7 key passes per game in 36 Championship starts, which shows that the potential is also there for him to offer quality as a creator.
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The Whites were linked with a potential swoop for the winger earlier this summer.
These statistics show that the pair could combine to form a fantastic pairing due to Rothwell’s ability to make attacking contributions and Kamara’s athletic, physical, defensive play, whilst they both retain possession at an exceptional rate with their 92% and 93% pass accuracy respectively.
Therefore, it would be a big howler to cash in on him this summer as the club would be allowing a player with the quality to help their latest signing thrive to depart.
