The Millers pulled off a considerable coup when they signed midfielder Kelly on a free transfer after five years as Coventry City’s club captain.
Evans revealed even former Rotherham player and manager Mark Robins, who gave him that job, was sceptical about Kelly joining the League One club
Evans is not concerned about his age and is thrilled about what his eighth signing of the summer—the transfer window doesn’t even officially open until this Friday—can bring to the team.
“He’s a really good player, Liam, a fantastic professional,” he said.
He has frequently controlled play in the middle of midfield against my teams. I’ve pulled a lot of references from the Coventry playing roster; Josh Eccles recently called Liam Kelly the best player he’s ever played with for that team.
“He’s simply an amazing addition. They’ll claim he’s thirty-four years old. The way he plays, he can be 54.
“Supporters will really like him and for those who watched the demoliation by Coventry last season (they beat Rotherham 5-0), Kelly was pulling every string, he was sensational.
“He understands he has competition, but he will deliver many significant moments like that.
We’ve done a fantastic job acquiring him because he had other viable options.
“I spoke to Mark Robins and his words were, ‘I don’t think you’ll get him’ but I met him a couple of times, I think his wife was probably fed up of me WhatsApping and ringing him.”
For the upcoming season, Kelly will be joining Rotherham alongside Joe Powell, Josh Rafferty, Sean Raggett, Jonson Clarke-Harris, Reece James, and Shaun McWilliams.
“Liam Kelly is one of those players where if you’re an opposition manager you go, ‘You have to get close,'” Evans stated.”I’m not going to overhype him; he’s just an incredible passer who can put a ball on a toadstool from sixty feet away and will energize us when we’re under duress. That’s sufficient for me.”
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