Joe Rodon has been one of Leeds United’s best players since joining from Tottenham Hotspur but any injury to him could derail the season.
The 26-year-old has been an absolute stalwart at the back, winning praise from teammates, fans and pundits alike for such a consistent run of performances at Leeds.
Leeds would be wise to try and get a permanent deal done for Rodon at some point but failure to secure promotion to the Premier League could prevent that, with his performances likely to be winning admirers from the top-flight.
Rodon was never really given a regular chance at Spurs but there is no doubt he has the ability to play in the Premier League, something which a reported Leeds target saw just over three years ago.
With Charlie Cresswell potentially on the move, Leeds have been linked with Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham – another Wales international teammate of Rodon’s.
Rodon was a Swansea City player at the time but had been heavily linked with a move to Spurs, which he, of course, went onto secure. Speaking to Sky Sports back in October 2020, Mepham claimed that Rodon has ‘all the characteristics’ of a Premier League defender.
Leeds target Mepham a big fan of Rodon
He said: “Joe’s quality is there for everyone to see. He’s played a lot of games for Swansea now and has been putting in some really good performances. He’s definitely got what it takes to make the step up.
“He’s very calm and composed on the ball and very confident in stepping forward. Defensively, he’s very dominant in the air and he’s quite a big lad so he imposes himself on the game.
“I think he has all the characteristics that any Premier League team would look for in a centre-back. If he does make the step up then I hope he does really well. I think he could be a good talent.”
Mepham actually finds himself in a similar situation to what Rodon did in the summer, as he is at a Premier League club in Bournemouth where he is struggling for minutes.
Whether he would get that at Leeds is another question, but given he is a Wales international, and Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Dan James are already here, that can only be a good thing.
Fellow Welshman Connor Roberts has also been mentioned as a target at Leeds this month – another player who has spoken highly of Rodon in the past.
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