After being relegated from the Premier League at the end of the previous season, Leeds United was left with the difficult challenge of turning things around and gaining good momentum.

Daniel Farke was named the club’s new head coach to begin the Whites’ summer, and they subsequently made a number of additions and departures to the roster.

Some of the people who left, either permanently or temporarily, including Rodrigo, Jack Harrison, Max Wober, Robin Koch, and Luis Sinisterra. This made room for new people to join.

To support their ambitions of advancing to the Championship, Jaidon Anthony, Ilia Gruev, Djed Spence, Joel Piroe, Joe Rodon, Glen Kamara, Sam Byram, Karl Darlow, and Ethan Ampadu were all signed.

The Yorkshire team’s performance in the summer business appears to have paid off, as they are currently eight points off the top of the league and sit third after 16 games.

Among the bunch, Rodon has been particularly excellent, and there is currently some conjecture as to whether or not he could stay at Elland Road after his current loan is over.

Leeds United transfer news – Joe Rodon

Leeds might be able to recruit the central defender permanently if they get promoted to the Premier League this season, according to a TEAMtalk report.

The publication asserts that Tottenham Hotspur is “open” to the idea of making a profit off of the Wales international next summer, implying that he is not Ange Postecoglou’s long-term goal for London.

After paying an initial sum of £11 million to sign the former Swansea City player back in 2020, it is said that Spurs could hold out for a fee in the neighbourhood of £20 million.

The towering enforcer is currently on a season-long loan from the top tier, and Farke recently stated that he will be at Elland Road until the end of the season, at the at least.

The Whites boss called the defender’s performances up to that time “brilliant” and said that he will remain with the team when questioned about the prospect of a recall during the January transfer window.

Although the season is still early, Leeds now has the chance to replicate the masterclass they performed with Pontus Jansson if they can sign Rodon to a long-term contract.

Prior to the 2016–17 Championship season, the Sweden international first joined the team on loan from Serie A team Torino. The following year, he was recruited permanently for an alleged sum of £3.5 million.

Jansson’s Leeds career in numbers

The outstanding defender showed off his incredible defensive abilities during his stellar debut season in the second tier, helping him get off to a quick start in England.

At least 2.5 more clearances per game than any of his teammates, the Torino loanee finished the season with an incredible 10.4 clearance rate for the team, having appeared in 34 Championship matches.

As he was more often than not in the right location at the right time to clear the threat, this demonstrated that his positioning and game reading were superior to those of the other defenders at the club.

The outstanding fighter demonstrated his ability to recover possession on a play by recording 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game.

The Swedish giant won 73% of his ground battles and 67% of his duels during the season, demonstrating his overwhelming strength at the back.

Following two seasons of Championship action, the centre defender played 81 more games for Leeds, who had paid £3.5 million to recruit him in 2017 as a result of his impressive achievements.

In 2018 and 2019, he played for Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites in his final campaign, and his performance was very noteworthy. He led the team with his 4.2 clearances per game and finished second in the squad for both tackles (2.4) and interceptions (2.3) per game.

Ultimately, Leeds decided to cash in and profit from Jansson as Brentford moved quickly to recruit him for an estimated £5.5 million in 2019. After just two years of a permanent contract in Yorkshire, Leeds had made a £2 million profit.

Given his stellar performance this season thus far on loan, Rodon may now decide to follow in his footsteps and seek a permanent contract after an outstanding year.

Rodon’s season in numbers

With a recent praise of “terrific” from international and former Spurs colleague Ben Davies, the 26-year-old colossus has started the season strong for Farke.

The incredible ace, who has helped the team’s stellar defensive record, showed a rare sign of weakness in September when he was shown a red card for two bookable offences against Hull.

After 16 games, only Leicester (10) has let up fewer goals than Leeds (16), which shows how good the defenders and the supporting structure have been, especially with Rodon at the centre of the backline.

In addition to contributing with two tackles and interceptions combined each game, the Welsh star has appeared in 13 of the team’s Championship games. He also ranks in the top 31% of players in his position for clearances (4.59) and blocks (1.5) per 90.

With a 61% duel success record, he has demonstrated his superiority and made it rare for other attackers to defeat him in physical battles.

Rodon has given Leeds a great deal of assistance in their possession dominance because he is a reliable passer. With a pass accuracy of 89.7% this season, he actually is in the top 13% of his positional Championship contemporaries.

The Wales international has also experienced playing in the top division of British football, having played 15 Premier League games for Tottenham earlier in his career. Should the Whites gain promotion this season, this experience could prove valuable.

Rodon’s stellar loan spell at Elland Road means that, should he maintain his form for the remainder of the season and help the team return to the top table, Leeds could land a great deal and replicate their Jansson masterclass by acquiring an impressive central defender on a permanent basis.