Former Leeds United midfielder Marc Roca has broken his silence after leaving the club to join Real Betis this week by sending a message to Whites fans.
After arriving at Elland Road under Jesse Marsch for £10m from Bayern Munich two years ago, there were hopes that the Spaniard could strengthen the midfield alongside Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, but that never materialised. Roca struggled in the Premier League and after the club were relegated back to the Championship, the star jumped ship and went on loan to Betis last season.
During his season with them, he scored four goals in 37 games, three more than he managed for the Whites in the same number of games, and has now completed a permanent move despite having two more left on his current deal at Leeds years. .
While it remains unclear how much Betis paid for the star, LeedsLive understands it must have been a fee of at least £5m as the deal is not listed as loss-making on the club’s Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) forecasts. Ahead of his move to La Liga, Roca couldn’t hide his delight at joining his new club, but made no mention of Leeds in his farewell message.
“I am very happy to be able to share with you the immense joy I feel in remaining connected with this great club,” the star wrote on his Instagram page. “This season I have had the opportunity to learn the values ​​that Real Betis Balompie represents and I am honored to say that they are in line with my own.
“Persistence, positive energy and pride of belonging are some of the most visible principles of this great family. I am sure that effort, passion and ambition combined with communication between the team and the fans will lead us to the highest goals. I sincerely appreciate the support I received from the wonderful Verdiblanca family.
Roca’s former teammates Junior Firpo and Joel Robles wished the star goodbye, with Firpo commenting with three green love heart emojis, while Robles sent a raised arms and two eyes with a love heart emoji. Meanwhile, he was greeted by a number of Betis players, including Assane Diao, Aitor Ruibal Garcia and Nabil Fekir.
Roca was the club’s first exit of the summer to require a fee, although several free moves and loans were pre-confirmed, including Sonny Perkins’ loan move to Leyton Orient, Luke Ayling’s permanent move to Middlesborough, Ian Poveda’s arrival on free agency and Lewis Bate going to Stockport County.