Why Rodon and his ready-made partnership really may ease the pain of losing Gray — The Athletic 3/7/24
By Nancy Froston
Archie Gray’s departure from Elland Road is the one Leeds
United fans least wanted to happen this summer.
But with a degree of inevitability and in the looming shadow
of the Championship’s profitability and sustainability (PSR) rules, he is now a
Tottenham Hotspur player. The fee, in the region of £40million ($50.6m) for the
teenager, should ease that PSR concern and leaves Leeds in a healthy position
when it comes to retaining their other assets.
Though this transaction stings, they are also in a good
place in terms of playing personnel following Joe Rodon’s move in the other
direction for a fee in the region of £10million.
After a successful loan spell last season in which he made
50 appearances in all competitions for Daniel Farke’s side, Leeds always
retained an interest in bringing back the Spurs defender. If it is possible to
overlook the emotions of the Gray deal from the exchange, securing Rodon’s
services permanently should be celebrated as a canny signing. It lays to rest
the memory of Ben White’s stellar season on loan from Brighton in 2019-20 which
subsequently put him out of their reach when they saw multiple offers rejected
and he later signed for Arsenal for £50million.
Rodon was a wanted man. Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester
City were among the clubs reportedly in for the Welshman, but the Rodon-Gray
deals mean a familiar trade route between Leeds and Spurs is in action once
again. That pathway has previously been trodden by Aaron Lennon, Jack Clarke,
Paul Robinson and Robbie Keane among others, while Djed Spence spent the first
half of last season on loan at Leeds. Depending on who you believe, the move
constitutes either one deal of £25-30million plus Rodon (according to Spurs) or
£40million for Gray moving one way and a separate £10million deal for Rodon to
head the other (according to Leeds).
The latter is a better deal for Leeds, with Gray’s exit
helping the PSR issue while Rodon’s separate arrival allows them to amortise
the cost of his transfer over his four-year contract. In financial terms — an
awful way to talk about the future of an 18-year-old boyhood fan who, but for
PSR, should have been the jewel in Leeds’ crown for years to come — Rodon in,
Gray out appears to hold more value for United.
But what of the football? Gray is a generational talent with
52 appearances behind him last season at either right-back or central midfield.
Meanwhile, Rodon, 26, was a central figure in the back line at right
centre-back playing next to compatriot Ethan Ampadu.
In positional depth, at least, there are ways that Leeds can
cover an exit like Gray’s more easily than finding a player as well-suited to a
Championship promotion tilt under Farke like Rodon. The former Swansea man is a
known entity to Leeds and any degree of guarantees in a player usually costs
big money. Rodon’s value to the team last season was plain to see.
Farke is a big fan, and it is easy to see why. Rodon is a
battler and picked up a black eye or a bloodied nose on more than one occasion
last season. After starting alongside Pascal Struijk before his season-ending
injury, Rodon and Ampadu formed a rock-solid partnership in the back line. They
were settled — Ampadu ever-present and Rodon clocking 3724 minutes that season
— and continuing that understanding will be a major asset in the new season.
The contrast between last season and the one that preceded
it is stark. Farke tightened Leeds up defensively, which required the right
players to execute what he needed before adding to their duties as a creative
foundation. Leeds fans will not need reminding (and it goes without saying that
a struggling Premier League team is unlikely to have a robust defence) that
they conceded 78 goals in 38 league games in 2022-23 compared to 43 in 46 games
in 2023-24.
Rodon and Ampadu complement each other. Rodon adds pace to
the back line — never a bad thing if dragged into a foot race with an attacker
— which Farke spoke about as an asset to his team in allowing them to play a
high line.
Among the many standout pieces of defending from Rodon last season was a goal-preventing tackle against Watford in the 2-2 draw in March. As Emmanuel Dennis raced through on goal, Rodon was able to show the striker across before executing a perfectly timed tackle.
Rodon recovered the ball (shown in the still below) and goalkeeper Illan Meslier was able to collect.
Another highlight came in the 3-1 win over Swansea City in November, when he was able to cover the channel behind the right-back when Jamal Lowe and Jamie Paterson made a quick break.
Still playing alongside Struijk at the time, Rodon cut out Lowe’s pass to Paterson on the overlap and snuffed out the danger.
He is important in the air, too, and data from StatsPerform
shows that, among Championship defenders to have played 3,000 minutes or more
last season, Rodon ranked 11th for aerial duels with 185 (Millwall’s Jake
Cooper was top with 299). Rodon ranked sixth under the same parameters for
headed clearances with 113 over the course of the season (Preston’s Liam
Lindsay was top with 139) while both Leeds centre-backs ranked inside the top
20 for blocks (Ampadu 14th, Rodon 16th).
Importantly, Rodon chose Leeds when he had the chance to go
elsewhere this summer. Loan status did not stop him from giving everything for
the shirt last season, but he is a particularly welcome addition on a permanent
basis.
