Tottenham Hotspur have announced the signing of Joe Rodon from Swansea City for an initial fee of £11 million.
The 22-year-old has been tied down to a five-year deal.
Spurs left it until the last hours of the EFL deadline but got the Welsh international through the door in good time.
Rodon becomes Spurs’ seventh signing and rounds off what has been an impressive window for the Lilywhites.
PLAYER PROFILE
Born in a village just outside Swansea, his talent was quickly snapped by the Swans. Rodon used to have a season ticket at the Liberty Stadium.
He signed his first professional contract in 2015 but was loaned to League Two side Cheltenham Town in the January window of the 2017/2018 season.
Swansea were in the Premier League at the time, so first-team minutes for the centre-back would’ve been near impossible.
The following summer, Swansea had a fire sale after being relegated to the Championship.
Federico Fernandez and Jordi Amat, who are both centre-backs, were among the four senior players who left on deadline day.
Alfie Mawson and Kyle Bartley, two central defenders, had already been sold, leaving not many options in that position.
Graham Potter, Swansea’s manager at the time, had two choices: play a full-back out of position or give Rodon a chance.
The stars aligned for the talented defender and his pathway into first-team football was well underway.
He embedded himself into the team brilliantly, making 27 appearances in the 2018/2019 campaign. Despite finishing below expectations in 10th, Rodon was a diamond among the rough.
He then continued to impress last season, despite an injury meaning he could only feature 21 times.
The 22-year-old was pivotal in Swansea achieving play-offs and became widely viewed as one of the best defenders in the division.
Rodon was then called up to the Wales squad in August 2019 and has gone onto make seven appearances for Ryan Giggs’ side, most recently playing against England at Wembley just over a week ago.
This was enough evidence for Spurs to snap the defender up and lay down £11 million for him.
Jose Mourinho clearly believes in the hype and now hopes to develop the Welsh international into a first-team starter.
PLAYER ANALYSIS
Upon first glance of the defender, you will see his huge 6”4 frame and assume he’s your classic no-nonsense centre-back.
The Welshman is actually quite the opposite. Rodon does tick lots of the required boxes for a modern-day defender.
Championship defenders of that size are often seen as big lumps. But Rodon can play, he is extremely comfortable bringing the ball out of defence.
He is also naturally good in the air and holds his own when faced with a one-on-one situation.
In possession, he doesn't shuffle the ball at the back, he pings passes, meaning they have a zip and purpose to them.
For Swansea, he almost always played in the left centre-half position.
Although predominately right-footed, he is more than comfortable on shifting it to the other foot if needs be. This is an extremely rare and valuable trait for a modern centre-back.
Rodon has all the tools to cut it in the Premier League.
HIS ROLE AT SPURS
Spurs have plugged plenty of gaps throughout this window, but a centre-back felt like the last piece in the puzzle.
After failing in their pursuit of Skirniar and Ruben Dias, it was clear that Spurs had a big intention to sign Rodon before the EFL deadline slammed shut.
The 22-year-old was clearly desperate to take the long trip to North London, not only because it’s a dream-like jump to the Premier League - but rather that he will sense that there is a pathway to the first team.
Centre-half is one of the only positions in Spurs' squad now that is in doubt and lacks proper quality.
Eric Dier and Davison Sanchez have been the chosen two this season, but both have not done enough to make their stance in that position solid.
Toby Alderweireld and Japhet Tanganga are also lurking in the shadows, but there are no massive obstacles in Rodon’s path to the first-team.
He is by no means up there at the top of the pecking order, but because of the unrest in those two positions – one or two impressive games could lead him to cement his place in the team.