"Grizzled" - Ipswich Town comparison raised after Leeds United done deal | OneFootball

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit is happy with the signing of Joe Rothwell from AFC Bournemouth on loan.

Highlights

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United completed the signing of Joe Rothwell from AFC Bournemouth on a season-long loan deal on Thursday evening.

The 29-year-old joined the Cherries in the summer of 2022, and he has since gone on to make over 30 Premier League appearances. However, he fell out of favour under boss Andoni Iraola, who sanctioned a temporary January switch to Southampton last season.

Rothwell has continued to be deemed surplus to requirements at Bournemouth despite winning promotion with Russell Martin's side. He signed for the Cherries after promotion in 2022 under Scott Parker from Blackburn Rovers.

That has meant that another switch away is on the cards, as Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam first revealed that an agreement was in place for Rothwell to spend the upcoming campaign on loan with the Whites. The season-long loan also comes with an option-to-buy for Leeds, according to Adam Pope.

The verdict on Joe Rothwell's move to Leeds

FLW’s Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith is happy with a signing that will check a lot of boxes for Daniel Farke's needs in Leeds' midfield next term.

He said: "I don't think by any means that signing Joe Rothwell on loan is a huge deal for Leeds, but it's exactly the type of signing we needed heading into this summer.

"He adds more grizzled Championship experience to the side. He may not be a starter for us when he's competing with Glen Kamara, who is obviously quality as well.

"But what he does add is a different profile to our midfield. He's someone who is a lot more capable of advancing with the ball at his feet, carrying it through the thirds, and arriving in attack to produce something as well. "That's something which we really lacked in our midfield options from last season. Obviously, he was on loan at Southampton and got four goals. That's three more league goals than any of our midfielders got last season. "Farke really lamented the fact that we had no experience in our midfield last season and he kept comparing us in terms of the age of the midfield to Massimo Luongo and Sam Morsy as the pivot at Ipswich Town. "You can see that it has been our focus with summer signings. Rothwell is now the most recent one as a 29-year-old midfielder, and he makes a lot of sense.

"By no means is it a signing that confirms Leeds are going to win the title and run away with it, but it does show that we're willing to make improvements in an area that Farke sees fit, which is midfield depth and added experience."

This isn’t the sort of eye-catching deal that will really excite the Leeds fans, but it could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business, as they are getting a player who knows what the Championship is all about.

Farke is adding a player who has plenty of know-how, and the experience of winning promotion, which can’t be underestimated, as he showcased last season that he is capable of being a vital part in a promotion-winning side, whilst his box-crashing and eye for goal is vastly superior to Leeds' other options in central midfield.

As Smith alludes to, he’s a solid addition to add depth and something different to the midfield off the back of seeing Jamie Shackleton and Archie Gray depart, leaving Leeds somewhat short in the middle of the park in terms of both numbers and quality prior to Rothwell signing.