Leeds United: Archie Gray, Liam Cooper among those to respond to Glen Kamara message to supporters | OneFootball

The midfielder has penned an emotional goodbye following his departure from Elland Road.

Highlights

Archie Gray and Liam Cooper are among Glen Kamara's former Leeds United teammates that have responded to the Finland international's emotional goodbye message, following his move to French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais.

The Finn took to his Instagram on Tuesday to confirm his gratitude to his Leeds United teammates, staff and Whites supporters, prompting a host of his former colleagues to share their thoughts following his transfer to the French side.

French sports outlet L'Equipe previously revealed Stade Rennais' interest in the 28-year-old this summer, but that was countered by journalist Adam Pope's claim that Leeds were in fact not looking to sell the former Rangers man.

Leeds reportedly paid £5m to bring the midfielder to Elland Road last summer, and whilst the official fee for Kamara's move to France is undisclosed, The Athletic report that it is thought to be approximately double what the Whites signed him for.

Players react to Kamara's message

After his transfer to Stade Rennais was confirmed, Kamara promptly posted a thank you message to his Instagram account.

Kamara wrote: "I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Leeds United for the chance to represent this amazing club.

"It’s been a short journey but definitely one that I will remember for the rest of my life. To the staff, my team mates and of course the fans, I wish you all the best. MOT."

Former Leeds captain Liam Cooper responded with: "What a guy! Good luck bro.", whilst Tottenham's Archie Gray followed a similar suit, saying: "What a guy."

Current Middlesbrough right-back and Whites legend Luke Ayling stated: "Top Top man!!! All the best to you mate!!".

Saying goodbye to some key players was something that Leeds United and their fans had come to terms with this summer, as is the financial situation they find themselves in.

But that still doesn't make it any easier, and Kamara's departure may hit the club harder than some may have thought.

Following the aforementioned Gray and his move to Spurs, combined with Marc Roca's permanent move to Real Betis and the return of Darko Gyabi to Plymouth Argyle, meant that Daniel Farke's central midfield options had taken quite the blow.

Therefore, to lose another player in that department, and a talented one at that in the form of Kamara, has weakened Leeds' midfield even further, and taken some vital experience out of their dressing room.

The Whites have been able to capture the signature of Bournemouth's Joe Rothwell on a season-long loan deal, who is coming off the back of winning promotion whilst out on loan with Southampton last season.

Rothwell is a proven Championship performer, and will provide some much-needed quality and experience in centre-midfield, but Farke's options still remain relatively thin on the ground in that department.

Ethan Ampadu will likely see his playing time shared between midfield and defence once again, whilst Brenden Aaronson spent the majority of his time with Union Berlin last season operating as more of an attacking midfielder.

As such, the number of natural central midfielders in the senior squad could cover the spots in the starting XI, but a senior option in that position from the bench doesn't appear visible at this stage.

Pairing Kamara with Rothwell could've seen one of the better midfield pairings being formed over the course of next season, with both players being stout defensively but also possessing the ability to create and contribute in attack.

So, there's a lot of pressure on Rothwell to hit the ground running as a Leeds player, and carry a significant amount of the load in the heart of Farke's midfield, and if he doesn't, questions will perhaps be raised as to whether Kamara could've/should've been kept around.