Newcastle United lead Watford and Leeds in the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon on a loan transfer
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Newcastle United are in the lead to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon on a loan transfer ahead of Watford and Leeds United. He has struggled to enter the plans of Antonio Conte and could be on the way out in January.
Tottenham are open to allowing Rodon to leave in the winter transfer window to get regular minutes. He is highly rated, as evidenced by his regular selection for Rob Page’s Wales, and should find no trouble in getting a suitor if the club puts him on the loan list. Brighton and Hove Albion could also join the race, but it depends on whether Graham Potter wants him or not.
Potter has previously worked with the Welshman at Swansea City, and the former may have some thinking to do as the transfer window draws close. The potential loan deal could be in the best interest of all parties looking at the current circumstances but a case could be made to keep him at the club beyond January.
Best for all parties?
Conte has previously admitted that he sees the 24-year-old as a backup option to Eric Dier. It is quite unfortunate as the former Swansea man has rarely put a foot wrong for us. He was also solid for his national team even when he was not playing regularly at N17.
The most minutes he played under the Italian manager was against NS Mura in the UEFA Europa Conference League. We endured an embarrassing 2-1 loss on the night, and he was subbed off during the second half.
His defensive partner on that day, Davinson Sanchez, has enjoyed more favour as compared to him despite not being at his best- but he has shown improvements in the past few games and could be well ahead of the former Swansea defender in the pecking order.
That could explain that maybe Rodon was never in the Spurs coach’s plans. Some would be puzzled by it as the centre-back was always solid, even if he was not exceptional. Or it could just be the case that Spurs just happen to have better defenders than him, but that’s for Conte to decide.
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The potential loan deal would be great for the Wales international to get himself ready for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. It would allow him to keep his match sharpness while ensuring that he does not rust on the bench.
For us, however, it could prove to be an unwise call if the stars don’t align. We already lost Toby Alderweireld in the summer and his apparent replacement, Cristian Romero, has had an extended period on the sidelines. It doesn’t help that Conte now uses a three centre-back formation and if injuries or fixture congestion play their part, we could really use a defender like Rodon in the second half of the season.
