Phil Hay has written in his latest piece for The Athletic that Rodrigo will prove too expensive to keep at Leeds United this summer, if the club are relegated to the Championship – with the Whites more than likely to go down this term.
Rodrigo, 32, has been sensational. He netted his 15th goal of the season in his 34th outing on Sunday in defeat to West Ham and in a side that sit in 19th place, it is some going. But he is set to enter the last 12 months of his deal.
Rodrigo – who is a Spain international – will have plenty of after him as he looks to make a late push for Spain’s Euro 2024 squad next summer. Playing in the Championship is not going to help the Leeds ace’s chances of a return.
He needs to be playing at the top tier. A return to Spain is more than likely for Rodrigo if Leeds do go down and even if we stay up, there is a chance he could go. Rodrigo is the club’s top earner, with his deal said to be £100k a week.
Hay made it clear that due to Rodrigo’s wages, he would be too costly in the second tier – and will leave: “Rodrigo will be a free agent in 12 months’ time and, as a top earner, would cost too much to keep in the Championship.”
Hay: Rodrigo will prove too expensive to keep at Leeds if we’re relegated
It will be sad to see Rodrigo go. Many players this season have had good spells of form, and then a bad few games. Luke Ayling, Illan Meslier, Marc Roca, Patrick Bamford, Jack Harrison and more. But Rodrigo has been consistent.
Scoring goals regularly, Rodrigo’s only dry spell came when he was forced to watch from the sidelines due to a foot issue, which forced him to have surgery. It would come as little surprise if Premier League clubs wanted Rodrigo.
But a return to Spain is much more likely having spent three years away from his home country, for his second spell in English football – after a loan at Bolton, where he worked under Big Sam. A player Micah Richards said is “absolutely brilliant”.
