BAYERN MUNICH MIDFIELDER MARC ROCA TO JOIN LEEDS UNITED - Leedsunited.com 17/6/22
Third arrival of the summer announced.
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.
Born in Spain, the defensive midfielder began his career
with RCD Espanyol, breaking through from the youth system into the first team
at the RCDE Stadium.
Winning caps for Spain at Under-19 and Under-21 level, he
starred for the latter, helping his country win the 2019 European Football
Championship.
He netted a goal in the semi-final against France and played
90 minutes in the 2-1 final victory over Germany, as did his new Leeds United
teammate Junior Firpo.
At club level, Roca made his debut for Espanyol in August 2016 in the 2-2 La Liga draw with Malaga CF.
He went on to establish himself in the side, making a
further 25 appearances in all competitions during the rest of the campaign.
After catching the eye over the next three seasons and
making a total of 121 outings for Espanyol, Roca was signed by Bayern Munich on
a five-year-deal in October 2020.
During his time in Germany, Bayern won the Bundesliga twice
and the FIFA Club World Cup.
He becomes the latest arrival who will join the Whites at
the start of next month, following the announcements of deals for Rasmus
Kristensen and Brenden Aaronson.
Marc Roca has been confirmed as the third arrival of the summer for Leeds United, following the previous announcements that Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen would also be joining the club on July 1st, 2022.
The midfielder has agreed a four-year-contract with the
Whites and after signing, Roca shared his thoughts about why he joined the
club!
“It’s a new experience and a new challenge for me,” Roca
explained.
“Leeds United gave me the chance and the opportunity. I will
give everything and give my best.
“My first steps were in Spain, then I played in Germany, now
it is time to join Leeds and play here in the Premier League.
“Everyone told me the Premier League is the best league in
the world and the history of Leeds United is amazing, I hope we can do good
things here.
“I have spoken with Junior Firpo, I played with him in the Spanish U21 national team, now it’s time to talk with Rodrigo and Diego Llorente as well. Then I can meet all my new teammates and I can’t wait to start playing!
“Junior told me it’s an incredible club with an amazing
atmosphere in the stadium and that the teammates here are incredible, the
locker room is incredible and for that I am very happy.”
Having progressed through the youth ranks at Espanyol, as
well as playing a number of times in Spain’s youth teams, Roca joined Bayern
Munich in 2020 and went on to play in both the Bundesliga and Champions League
for the German giants.
The 25-year-old spoke about what the fans can expect to see
from him on the pitch, whilst also stating that he is looking forward to
working with head coach, Jesse Marsch.
“He [Jesse Marsch] encouraged me to come here, and I can’t wait to start working with him. I think we can do good things!
“My favourite position is a midfielder, I like to play with
the ball and to be strong in defence, always helping the team.
“The fans can expect me to give my everything. I am a player
who loves playing with the ball, but I am hard as well in defensive duels.
“I am looking forward to playing here to feel the sensation and to start the season, because I think it will be very good.”