'No-brainer' - Southampton manager's glowing Joe Rothwell verdict will excite Leeds United fans as loan confirmed

Joe Rothwell is the latest player to join Leeds United and the glowing verdict of a former manager suggests he will be an excellent addition to Daniel Farke’s squad.

Rothwell has joined Leeds on a season-long loan from Bournemouth, although the YEP understands there is no option to make the move permanent. News of the arrival came completely out of the blue and is further evidence that 49ers Enterprises are working hard to avoid leaks and speculation.

Central midfield became a key area to strengthen following the £40m sale of Archie Gray to Tottenham, and with Farke keen to add goals and experience in that area, Leeds have done exactly that. Rothwell spent the second-half of last season on loan at Southampton and scored four goals in 16 league appearances, playing a crucial role as Russell Martin’s side secured an instant return to the Premier League with May’s play-off final victory over the Whites.

Rothwell has bags of Championship experience under his belt and even played against the Southampton boss. And after securing his services on loan in January, Martin was quick to point out how the former England youth international would help his side.

"It will take a bit of time to get used to what we're asking, it's very different to what he's been offered at Blackburn and Bournemouth but he's a really talented footballer and athlete,” the Saints boss said "When you add them two ingredients and the character he's got, it's exciting for us. It's a really good addition.

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"I'm excited to work with Joe, I really hated playing against him when he was at Blackburn, it's always a good sign of a player that you don't enjoy facing. He's great friends with Jack [Stephens] and Arma [Adam Armstrong]. I spoke to them a lot about him before he came, about his character and ability. I think it's really important to listen to players at that point. When they both spoke so highly of him, it was a no-brainer.”

Rothwell would go on to play a crucial role as Southampton held their nerve to secure a spot in the play-offs, eventually beating Leeds in the Wembley final. Those four goals helped keep the Saints in touching distance of automatic promotion and Martin went on to describe the loanee as an ‘amazing finisher’ after two goals in three minutes off the bench turned a 2-2 draw against Sunderland into a 4-2 win.

That propensity to get forward and contribute will excite Farke, who had to wait until the 4-0 play-off semi-final win over Norwich for one of his midfielders, Ilia Gruev, to find the net - and even that was from a long-range free-kick. The absence of goals from midfield proved a major issue for Leeds in games where the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter were off the boil.

Central midfield is an important area to strengthen this summer and Leeds have known for some time that a combination of goals and experience was needed. Rothwell will provide exactly that and so, as with Southampton in January, he quickly became a no-brainer.