Leeds United new boy Connor Roberts not afraid to get his hands dirty as Championship sent 'scrap' warning — YEP 2/2/24
Leeds United's newest arrival Connor Roberts will not shirk responsibility when it comes to standing up for his teammates, or getting stuck in as the Whites set their sights on a return to the Premier League.
By Joe Donnohue
The Welsh international is no shrinking violet and says as
much to the press pack gathered at Elland Road on the evening of deadline day.
He has just signed a loan deal with Leeds for the remainder of the season but
makes no secret his desire to potentially extend his stay, so long as he proves
himself 'on and off the pitch'.
At 28 years old, Roberts has seen plenty of action,
particularly in this division. A Team of the Season nominee last year, in
addition to winning promotion with Vincent Kompany's dominant Burnley side, and
a play-off participant with Swansea City three years ago, the Wales defender
brings experience to Daniel Farke's youthful squad.
It is no secret that Roberts is a player who can get under
the skin of opponents, whether that be through the medium of verbal or physical
wind-ups. Upon completing his media duties at Elland Road ahead of an official
announcement on Thursday evening, the full-back returned to the room where
journalists had gathered continuing to work, and sporting a cheesy grin,
remarked: "Go home, lads!"
Roberts is close to existing Leeds trio Joe Rodon, Dan James
and Ethan Ampadu. The quartet have played together extensively for Wales, while
all except Ampadu featured alongside one another at Swansea City - the club
where all three came through the academy.
To have landed at a club where three of his closest friends
in the game are currently fighting for automatic promotion to the Premier
League is 'brilliant' and a 'privilege', Roberts says.
Quizzed on the 'needle' to his game, on display as recently
as Wednesday, trading shoves with Manchester City's Rico Lewis, Roberts opens
up a little further: "It's been what I've been about since I started
playing football to be honest, just getting in there, getting stuck in - I'm a
rugby boy at heart so I like a scrap every now and again.
"I think Vincent Kompany is a big part of that as
well," Roberts added. "Last season, as good as we were on the ball
playing football, we looked fancy and all that, we were gritty and we stuck up
for each other.
"We knew that if - you know - the faeces hit the fan,
kind of thing, we had to go again and we had to stick by each other. In the
end, you get promoted as a team not as individuals, so you all have to be in it
together.
"There's one thing for sure, if Joe [Rodon] or DJ [Dan
James] gets started on, I'm flying straight in there."