Leeds United’s Newest Signing Marc Roca: Analysis
By Aditya Kumar
Leeds United recently announced the signing of Marc Roca from Bayern Munich on a four-year deal for a fee of around €10 million. But who is Marc Roca and what does he bring to the Whites?
Who Is Marc Roca That Leeds United Have Signed?
Prior to joining the German giants in 2020, Roca played for Espanyol in the La Liga after making his league debut in 2016. He made over 100 appearances for the Spanish club before he moved to Germany.
Despite not having any major injuries during his time at Bayern, Roca only made a handful of appearances with Joshua Kimmich, Tolisso, and Goretza being favoured over him.
Announcing him on their website, Leeds United wrote:
"Leeds United can today announce Marc Roca will join the club on July 1st 2022 after an agreement was reached with FC Bayern Munich. The 25-year-old will join on a four-year-contract running until the summer of 2026, for an undisclosed fee. via: leedsunited.com"
Primarily a defensive midfielder, Leeds United’s newest signing is capable of playing as a no.8 also. He is someone who likes to control the tempo of the game with the ball at his feet.
While he progresses the ball well, he does it through passing rather than dribbling unlike many other players in his position.
In the 2019/20 La Liga season (his last season with consistent game time), Roca averaged 41.6 passes and 0.8 key passes per game, while maintaining a passing success rate of 80.2%.
He is also a player who likes to press the opposition and win back ball possession for his team, despite not being a destroyer-type midfielder like N’golo Kante.
He averaged 21.15 pressures per 90, with a 30% success rate. Although, his biggest strength is not one of these but rather lies in his ability to find space and be in favourable positions to receive passes from his teammates.