Barcelona once again provided the backdrop for one of Victor Orta’s Leeds United transfer pitches as Marc Roca found his eyes lighting up at the prospect of the move. The 25-year-old’s move from Bayern Munich to the Whites was announced on Friday afternoon, bringing an end to a negotiation which first began in the winter.
It’s a £10m switch which carries the same hallmarks as many of the pursuits Orta has executed in his time at Elland Road. In this case, a sojourn in the major Spanish city was used to woo Roca much in the way Junior Firpo had been wooed there 12 months earlier.
“For me, it was incredible how Victor comes to Barcelona because we had a meeting and he explained to me why they want me, what I can do, where I can improve,” Roca said. “Everything they presented to me I was very impressed and I loved it from the first moment.”
READ MORE: Marc Roca signs with Leeds United in £10m transfer from Bayern Munich
Ironically, Firpo has proved to be one of the major factors in this transfer too. The left-back was a team-mate of Roca’s in the Spain under-21 squad a few years ago.
With a first full year already under his belt, Firpo was well placed to give his compatriot some pointers on what he has found in West Yorkshire. It’s fair to say Elland Road and the dressing room have not been hard to sell.
“I will do every day my best, my mentality is to improve every day, to give my best, to help my team-mates, to be part of an incredible team and I talked with Junior,” said Roca. “He told me the team-mates are incredible here, a good atmosphere in the locker room.
“I will help everybody, I want everybody to help me and I am sure we will do a good season.”
Jesse Marsch has already been on the phone with Roca about Leeds too, of course. The head coach now has the job of getting the best out of his Spanish midfielder.
The American has mapped out the system to Roca, how they will play and how he can contribute to helping the team with his set of attributes. Espanyol, it’s fair to say, is where Roca played his best football.
His four years there were enough to play his way into the under-21 team and, more impressively, convince a European superpower in Bayern to invest in him. While the opportunities never really came for Roca to kick on in Germany, returning to the form he showed in Spain could be key.
“In Espanyol, we played with the ball, we have a good system, everybody knows what we have to do and it’s the same at the national team in Spain,” he said. “When we have a good model, everybody knows what we have to do.
“I have the confidence, I have the template, I help my team-mates, my team-mates help me and then everybody is good.”
Roca flew out of the UK after completing his move and went to Ibiza for the last of his summer holiday before returning for pre-season at Thorp Arch in a few weeks.
