Leeds United have had some fan-favourite players over the years who were not particularly brilliant but more than made up for it by working their socks off for the club. The Whites have been in the second tier more than the Premier League in the last decade and even in the Championship, there have been some cult favourites who have continued to remain in the hearts of the supporters long after they left the club. One of those cult ex-Leeds players has found a new club in the Championship in the middle of the season.
Daniel Farke and his Leeds United players are pushing to ensure that they get back to the Premier League at the end of the season and are remaining focused on their job at hand.
Several players in the current Leeds squad are fan favourites and will remain on the lips of supporters long after they leave the club in the coming years.
Leeds supporters take a great affinity to players who are willing to work hard for players, just ask Gaetano Berardi, who was at the club during a low point but remains a fan-favourite to date.
One of those Leeds players has now his way back into the Championship and is again set to lace up their boots in the second tier of English football.
Former Leeds United star has joined Derby County on a free transfer
Kemar Roofe was a major fan-favourite at Leeds and was part of the team that lost the playoff semi-final tie in Marcelo Bielsa’s first season at Elland Road.
He is certainly not one of the best strikers to play for Leeds but his affinity to work hard for the team made him such a cult hero in the stands for the Whites.
Roofe moved on from Leeds to Anderlecht in 2019 before joining Glasgow giants Rangers just a year later. He continued to score goals in Scotland despite his injury problems.
The forward has been without a club since last summer and Derby County have picked him up on a free transfer on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
Roofe had a decent record against Derby during his time at Leeds and scored four goals in seven appearances, including in the first leg of the playoff semi-final.
He didn’t feature in the second leg and Leeds eventually lost the tie against the Rams who were managed by Frank Lampard then.
Roofe netted 33 times in 123 appearances during his time at Leeds and will now look to help Derby survive in the Championship this season.
…..but he won’t face Leeds this season
Derby are 22nd in the Championship table and just a point of safety at this stage of the season. They hope Roofe will add more experience and goals to their squad.
The Rams have a decent chance of survival and Roofe’s track record of scoring goals in the Championship should serve them well at the business end of the season.
However, Leeds fans won’t get a chance to welcome back their former player at Elland Road as the Whites have already played them twice this season.
Leeds have done a double over Derby and will not have to worry about Roofe making an impact against them this season. However, the former White has a job at hand to save the Rams.
Roofe has already joined training with the rest of the Derby squad and is preparing to make an impact when he gets on the pitch in the coming days.
He will likely make his debut when Derby host Millwall at Pride Park on Saturday in a key Championship clash.
