Tottenham loanee Joe Rodon gives Ange Postecoglou a decision to make
Tottenham defender Joe Rodon has enjoyed a productive season on loan with Leeds United and has left Ange Postecoglou with a big decision to make.
When the Australian arrived at Hotspur Way, he wasted no time putting his foot down in North London.
Spurs’ players and style of play are almost unrecognisable from last season, with Postecoglu lifting the mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
One player whom the 58-year-old decided wasn’t for him was Wales international Rodon, who was sent out on loan to Elland Road to play his football in the Championship with Leeds.
Rodon has become a key figure in West Yorkshire under Daniel Farke, starting 28 of the club’s 32 league matches so far this season, and featuring 32 times across all competitions.
His confident displays at the back have helped the Whites keep six clean sheets in their last seven matches, with Leeds’ 100 per cent record in the Championship in 2024 lifting them into the automatic promotion spots.
Rodon shone once again in his home country as Leeds put four past his boyhood club Swansea without response on Tuesday 13 February.
Postecoglou must decide on Rodon’s future at Tottenham
After such an influential loan spell, it is hard to imagine that Rodon will return to North London and settle for a place among the reserves.
He will want regular football or he will be off, and he certainly won’t be short of suitors after his performances this season.
With that in mind, Postecoglou must decide where Rodon’s future lies and might be tempted to give the centre-back another chance.
Against his former side, Rodon displayed all the qualities of a Postecoglou central defender. He was composed on the ball as he completed 94 per cent of his passes and took 108 touches, while he was also strong defensively.
Rodon won 100 per cent of both his aerial and ground duels and made nine clearances and two tackles while also blocking one shot (Sofascore).
He has hardly put a foot wrong in recent weeks and is arguably in contention for the Championship’s Team of the Season.
While defensively he has been solid, sitting in the top eight per cent of Championship centre-backs this season for the percentage of dribblers he has tackled (80.0 per cent per 90), it is his ability on the ball which will have caught the eye of Postecoglou back in N17 (fbref).
Rodon ranks among the top six per cent of his positional peers this season for his pass completion rate (90.9 per cent per 90) and the top eight per cent for his total carrying distance (293.07 yards per 90).
He also sits in the top 10 per cent for both the number of carries he has made (53.96 per 90) and his progressive carrying distance (168.34 yards per 90).
Considering Postecoglou’s desire for a ball-playing central defender, he might not be so keen to let Rodon go again this summer and could be keen to take a closer look at the defender in pre-season.
Either way, Postecoglou will need to make his decision quickly as Rodon will no doubt demand some clarity over his future as he looks to continue building some momentum after enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career.
In other Tottenham news, there is concern for Spurs as one 100 per cent defender was nowhere to be seen in first-team training on Wednesday.
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