When we first got Joe Rodon – albeit on loan from Tottenham, I was impressed by the calibre of this deal and his performances in the first few games got me thinking that he could be a standout performer for us. At that point, having been relegated back down to the Championship, we needed the defence freshening up after shipping a considerable number of goals in the top flight.
New faces were definitely key and following Daniel Farke’s appointment as manager, he clearly had an idea of the type of defenders that were needed.
Is Joe Rodon set for permanent move to Leeds United?
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Rodon came in along with Ethan Ampadu and the pair worked wonders at the back, giving us much-needed defensive organisation. It also helped that they both played together in the Wales national team.
A leader, he also proved to be a very pragmatic defender and, certainly a cut above the Championship level.
After just one season with us, Farke gave approval to make his loan move permanent for a £10 million fee, which proved to be a very astute partial use of the nearly £100 million in transfer fees we received for the likes’ of Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray.
His performances the following season were just as consistent as he established himself as one of the most important players in the squad, while his statistics painted a very encouraging picture.
| Metrics | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances (Championship) | 46 | 46 |
| Tackles Per 90 Minutes | 0.77 | ≈0.77 |
| Interceptions Per 90 Minutes | 0.74 | ≈0.74 |
| Clearances Per 90 Minutes | 4.53 | ≈4.5 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 120 | Consistent |
| Clean Sheet % | 0.54 | ≈54% |
| Goals | 0 | 1 |
Rodon One Of The Best For A While?
Prior to Rodon, we did have a couple of solid centre-backs, including – indeed, Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling (mainly a right-back, though very good at centre-back) while we were in the Championship under Marcelo Bielsa became a fan-favourite, though Rodon was probably a considerably upgrade on anyone we had until that point – including during our return to the Premier League.
He also proved that he was capable of comfortably partnering anyone in defence, including both Ampadu and Pascal Struijk, plus Sam Byram at times during our stint in the Championship.
I think he was certainly one of the best we had for a while in his position – possibly even since Rio Ferdinand and as a result, was definitely one of the primary reasons for our return to the Premier League.