New Leeds United man Connor Roberts open to longer Elland Road commitment but made to wait for debut — YEP 1/2/24
Leeds United's newest signing Connor Roberts has expressed his delight at signing for the club and hopes he can prove he is deserving of an extended stay beyond the expiry of his loan deal.
By Joe Donnohue
Roberts has signed on loan until the end of the 2023/24
season and will supplement Daniel Farke's defensive ranks as the team seek
promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. The Wales
international arrives with promotion pedigree, having gone up with reigning
champions Burnley last term, whilst also being named in the Championship's Team
of the Season.
"Football's a funny game, so I'll be doing my very best
to make a good impression on and off the pitch and maybe in the future it can
change from the straight loan but yeah, at the moment it's just come here try
and help on and off the pitch," the 28-year-old said.
Speaking after signing on the dotted line at Elland Road,
Roberts says he hopes to have an impact on and off the pitch, sharing his
experience with the likes of positional rival Archie Gray, as well as
international teammates Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu.
"I think I've got plenty of experience to bring to
Archie [Gray], if he's playing there or Joe [Rodon] alongside me, Ethan
[Ampadu], I know them well, but I can still give them some pointers and
hopefully as a collective, as a group.
"The aim is to get promoted and whether that means me
playing half the games, all the games, only a few games, it doesn't really
bother me. I just want to want to be smiling with the rest of the lads come the
end of the season," he added.
"I'm just really excited to get going and like you say
it's just a loan for now, but I think it would have been unbelievable to come
here for the long term kind of thing, but I'm going to be incredibly privileged
to play for Leeds United, whether that's a handful of times or every single
game between now and the end of the season. So I'm just looking forward to it.
"I'm always ready and when the chance comes I'll give
absolutely everything when I put on that shirt."
Roberts is not eligible to feature for Leeds until the
Whites' game against Rotherham United on February 10. The Welsh international
was not registered in time to be named in Farke's matchday squad against
Bristol City this weekend and having not been a Leeds player last weekend when
the Whites drew 1-1 against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup Fourth Round, cannot
play in the replay this coming Tuesday.