Leeds United really would have been fearing the worst in the direct aftermath of their crushing Championship play-off final defeat at the hands of Southampton, unsure what the true complexion of another season in the second tier looked like.
There have been suggestions that the Whites would need to have an almighty fire sale in order to balance the books correctly and although the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto and others do still look unlikely to stay rooted in West Yorkshire past this summer, the mood around Elland Road has at least gotten less sour with more recent developments.
Red Bull acquiring a minor ownership stake in the club will no doubt allow Leeds to still bring in notable incomings through the door despite their failure to win promotion obviously hurting them, with Whites chairman Paraag Marathe stating that this lucrative deal will allow the West Yorkshire outfit to “reach its full competitive potential.”
That could mean the play-off final losers are now able to keep a sublime loanee around permanently, even as other clubs begin to eye up a move after the defender was imperious for Daniel Farke’s nearly-men all campaign long.
Leeds looking atr “outstanding” star
A recent report by TEAMTalk indicates that current Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon has been given free rein over his immediate future at the Premier League side, with a permanent deal on the table from Leeds if he wants to stay situated at Elland Road, even as the club prepares for another season in the second-tier.
Leeds will obviously want the Welshman to stick it out at the Whites ahead of next campaign, with the ex-Swansea City centre-back making 50 appearances in total under Farke as an everpresent member of his near-miss squad, who no doubt will feel strange that his successful loan stint didn’t conclude with any promotion celebrations.
It won’t be a foregone conclusion that he does just end up relocating back up to Yorkshire, however, with Southampton also circling for his services, who denied Leeds at Wembley a spot in the Premier League.
TEAMTalk also states that Rodon’s current price tag stands between £12-15m, which could be easier for the Saints to pay up with this promotion success fresh in the bag, although Red Bull’s new injection of cash could swing the deal in Leeds’ favour.
Alongside this new influx of money, Rodon’s successful loan spell could see him want to stay put, entering into the hearts of the Leeds fanbase with powerful and imposing displays becoming commonplace, leading to former Leeds defender Jon Newsome – on BBC Radio Leeds – calling the defender “outstanding” for his contributions at the back.
With the Welshman almost viewing Elland Road as home now over his parent North London employers, stating that it already feels like a “second home” to him during his stint, a move back for good could be on the cards very soon.
Nobody at Leeds would say no to this becoming a reality, with Farke understandably overjoyed if such a move did come to fruition.
Rodon’s numbers for Leeds
Only missing three total games in the league, Rodon was arguably the glue that held together the back four for the club alongside Ampadu, when the German manager experimented with the full-back slots.
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Joe Rodon vs Ampadu – Championship regular season |
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|---|---|---|
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Stat – per 90 mins |
||
|
Games played |
43 |
46 |
|
Average touches |
83.7 |
84.0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
6 |
|
Accurate * |
66.0 (91%) |
63.3 (89%) |
|
Balls recovered * |
4.2 |
6.9 |
|
Tackles * |
1.1 |
1.5 |
|
Clearances * |
4.5 |
2.2 |
|
Total duels won |
4.7 |
4.0 |
|
Stats by Sofascore. * = per game |
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Gelling well at the back with the ex-Chelsea man, Rodon was the more physical of the two centre-backs as well as being a measured passer of the ball. The current Leeds boss would love to have this partnership back at his disposal ahead of next campaign, with that then being a solid foundation to build a somewhat new-look team around.
Even in that soul-destroying 1-0 defeat to Russell Martin’s Saints at Wembley, Rodon didn’t put in an underwhelming display, with a 91% passing accuracy managed, but he will no doubt still be troubled by the lax marking that allowed Adam Armstrong acres of space to fire home the decisive match-winning goal on the biggest stage.
He could well right the wrongs of that fateful day by returning for £15m this summer, having collected an impressive 17 clean sheets himself, before his side were unfortunately breached in that stinging defeat.
Rodon might well not be the only new addition to the ranks at Elland Road if this new Red Bull deal does inject hefty millions into the club’s bank account, which could sway the 26-year-old even more towards returning to Leeds instead of fighting for an unlikely first-team spot stuck on the periphery at Spurs.
Leeds’ other business this summer
Away from multiple different news outlets speculating on the futures of Gnonto, Summerville and Archie Gray to name a few, Leeds are also in the running for various new incomings into the building.
Rodon could even be joined by Ben Johnson, with none of the newly acquired Red Bull money needed to tempt the current West Ham United man to make the switch to Elland Road, as a deal for the versatile defender could be clinched for free owing to his Hammers contract running down.
Farke will feel less grim about his side’s chances in the division, therefore, with plenty of fresh recruits coming in to re-energise the downtrodden troops who missed out on promotion glory just, with an out-there swoop for Ao Tanaka also reportedly on the agenda.
Leeds have been here before when it comes to notable departures and have bounced back, cheering on Ilia Gruev’s excellence in the play-off semi-finals in the position Kalvin Phillips used to dazzle in.
But, being able to keep a firm grip on such a fan favourite in Rodon permanently would be such a boost for a side very much down their luck after Wembley heartbreak, ahead of battling away near the top of the division all over again when next season gradually begins to comes into view.
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