Home Football Leeds United and Oxford United both benefitted from 2016 player transfer: View

Leeds United and Oxford United both benefitted from 2016 player transfer: View

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Leeds United and Oxford United both benefitted from 2016 player transfer: View

Highlights

  • Kemar Roofe’s impactful time at Oxford United led to a move to Leeds United, where he proved himself as a proficient goalscorer.
  • Roofe’s impressive performances at Leeds earned him a significant profit for the club when he was sold to Anderlecht for a reported £7million.
  • A win-win situation unfolded for Oxford and Leeds, as Roofe’s transfer benefited both clubs financially, showcasing his value as a player.



Kemar Roofe is currently looking for a new club this summer after being recently released by Scottish giants Rangers, and it’s fair to say that the 31-year-old still has a lot to offer.

The Walsall-born striker had spent his entire career in English football – minus a loan spell in Iceland as a youngster – prior to his move to Anderlecht in 2019, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see English clubs throughout the leagues keeping tabs on him this summer.

However, despite playing for a number of clubs in England, Roofe is mainly remembered for his spells with Oxford United and Leeds United, which propelled him from a lower league player to someone who played European football for both Anderlecht and Rangers.

Roofe may have spent just one full season at the Kassam Stadium after joining from West Brom, but his move to the Yellows was one that will always be fondly remembered by Oxford fans and ultimately helped him forge a name for himself.



Kemar Roofe’s time at Oxford United earned him a move to Leeds United

Roofe joined Oxford United on loan in February 2015, and scored six times in 16 appearances between then and the end of the season, doing enough to convince the club to sign him on a permanent basis that summer.

The striker was a revelation for the Yellows during the 2015/16 season, and he scored 25 goals in 49 appearances for the club as they won promotion to League One after finishing second in League Two, and they reached the final of the Football League Trophy.

Roofe was named League Two Players’ Player of the Year for the 2015/16 season, and he was also included in the League Two PFA Team of the Year.


However, it was the cup competitions where Roofe really made a name for himself, and he scored from 40 yards in a 4-0 win away to Championship side Brentford in the League Cup, before netting a brace against Premier League side Swansea in a shock 3-2 win which made people sit up and take notice.

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After a 25-goal season, it was inevitable that Roofe would attract interest, and so it proved, as Leeds forked out a fee of £3million to bring him to the Championship.

Roofe may have only spent just over a season at Kassam Stadium, but he’s still fondly remembered for the way he won them promotion and earned them a substantial transfer fee.

Kemar Roofe’s move to Leeds United benefited both parties

Kemar Roofe and Richard Keogh


Oxford United pocketed a fee of £3million following Roofe’s departure in the summer of 2016, a huge fee for a side that had just been promoted to the third tier of English football, and it allowed manager Michael Appleton to build a squad able to compete in League One.

Meanwhile, Leeds benefited as a result of Roofe’s performances, and the striker became a good player at Championship level, albeit after a slow start.

In his first season at Elland Road, the future Jamaican international bagged just four goals in 49 appearances, but he found his scoring boots in the seasons that followed.

Roofe was a standout player during the 2017/18 season, and despite Leeds finishing in 13th place, he scored 14 times and registered five assists in 39 appearances, proving his worth as a Championship-standard player.

With Marcelo Bielsa taking charge in the summer of 2018, Roofe made a dream start to life, and scored four goals in August to be crowned the Championship Player of the Month.


A calf injury threatened to derail the striker’s campaign, but he found form after missing six games, and he scored another ten goals between October and January, but his final few months in a Leeds shirt were hampered by injury.

However, Roofe did score the only goal of the game as Leeds beat Derby in the first-leg of the play-off semi-final in what turned out to be his final appearance for the club, as he missed the fateful second-leg at Elland Road.

He scored 15 times in his final season for Leeds, taking his tally to 33 goals in 122 appearances – a respectable return.

Kemar Roofe’s time at Leeds United – Transfermarkt

Season

P

G

A

2016/17

49

4

7

2017/18

39

14

5

2018/19

34

15

2


Leeds sold Roofe to Belgian giants Anderlecht in the summer of 2019 for a reported fee of £7million, meaning they made a £4million profit on him.

Roofe’s move to Elland Road in 2016 proved a beneficial one for both Leeds and Oxford. Oxford received a big fee and Leeds signed a prolific goalscorer who earned them money – a win-win for both parties.