Walsall have signed forward, Kemar Roofe on a free transfer.
Roofe had been a free agent since he left Derby in June after he joined the Rams just months earlier in February on a short-term deal, in which he only managed to make three appearances.
“I’m really happy to have signed for Walsall,” explained Roofe who has signed a short-term contract until January with his “hometown club”, as he shared his first footballing memory of Walsall.
“It’s my hometown club so it means that little bit more to me and I feel even more at home now having built relationships at the training ground – the staff and players have been amazing with me and I just can’t wait to get stuck in and help the team and the club achieve its goals.
“My football journey probably started at Walsall l when I was five – I’ve got pictures of me at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium doing the penalty shootout at halftime so to be able to remember that moment and kind of do a full circle is amazing so hopefully I’ll be able to do what I did back then and score some goals for the Saddlers.”
Roofe added that he had spoken with Mat Sadler who gave him belief in how he can benefit the squad moving forward, as the Saddlers sit top of League Two and he is available for their home match against Colchester United tomorrow (15 November).
“I spoke with the gaffer at length and he’s given me lots of confidence – he’s told me to bring what I usually do with my quality and experience and help the team push forward. I’m excited to see what the future brings and I just can’t wait to get started.”
Sadler added that Roofe is “a fantastic striker” who still has the motivation to achieve success despite a series of injuries in recent years.
“He’s still very, very hungry to achieve things and he’s only 32 so there’s loads left in the tank which is exciting from my point of view.
Sadler also warned fans to not expect an immediate impact from Roofe as he continued: “It’s important to recognise with Kemar that he’s working through fitness – I wouldn’t expect him to come and play 90 minutes off the bat.
“We need to look after him and make sure we manage him in the right way but what’s been amazing to see for me is that we’ve got to know each other over the last few weeks, got to know his strengths and all of that and he’s been working really hard – he’s desperate to be here.”
Despite their lofty position in the fourth-tier, Walsall aren’t amongst the highest goalscoring clubs so Sadler has welcomed an additional goalscoring option up front in Roofe.
“It’s another really good option for us at that top end of the pitch and something that we all know we wanted, that extra body in the building and hopefully Kemar can continue to show what a great career he’s had. He’s a great guy, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with him so far and I look forward to working with him further.”
Roofe began his career with West Bromwich Albion where he made no senior appearances amidst loans at Vikingur Reykjavik, Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town, Colchester and Oxford United, of which he joined the Us in summer 2015 on a permanent deal.
That permanent transfer proved successful as he scored 26 goals in 48 appearances across 2015-16 season which led to a move to Leeds, before he went on to spend a season at Anderlecht before he managed 38 goals in 102 appearances for Rangers between 2020-24.
During his time at Ibrox, Roofe helped the team win the Scottish Premiership title in his first season with the club in 2020-21 campaign, before Scottish Cup success followed in 21-22 season whilst one last piece of silverware came in 2023-24 season with the Scottish League Cup.
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