Who is Joe Rodon? Strengths and weaknesses of Tottenham's promising new centre-back

Tottenham's push for a centre-back during the transfer window took them to Milan and back to London again. Jose Mourinho had hoped to add one of Milan Skriniar or Antonio Rudiger of Inter and Chelsea fame, respectively, to the squad before the European window closed last week, only to be left empty handed. 

Spurs had agreed personal terms with Skriniar, who was keen on the move to England, but the north London side and Inter were unable to successfully negotiate a fee. For Rudiger, meanwhile, the bad blood between the London rivals meant a deal was always going to be difficult. 

Mourinho's side, though, needn't have fretted in their pursuit of a centre-back. While a late move for Joe Rodon last week was mooted, with the domestic transfer window open until Friday, Spurs had ample time to negotiate with Swansea for the highly-rated Welsh centre-back and they today landed their man, even if they left it late to get the deal done! 

Manchester United and Manchester City have previously been linked with a move for Rodon, but it's Spurs who have won the race for the youngster, who has all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League. The standout quality is the ease with which he plays the ball out from defence. Rodon boasts a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'passing' and for a forward thinking Swansea side, this has been pivotal. 

In his breakthrough season in 2018/19, Rodon was making an impressive 60.6 passes per 90 as the youngster abided by the Swansea ethos with ease. With a pass success rate of 86.6%, the Swans were able to build attacks from the back with Rodon making the most of his opportunity to shine under Graham Potter. Once Steve Cooper succeeded Potter at the Liberty Stadium helm, the approach differed slightly in that Swansea saw less of the ball and, as a result, Rodon's passes per 90 dropped to 52.0 in 2019/20, though it was relative to their possession average dipping from 56.0% to 51.9%.

Injuries have unfortunately limited Rodon to just 52 league appearances of a possible 98 since the start of 2018/19, with a series of ankle issues forcing the Wales international to watch on from the sidelines, but that didn't deter Spurs from making a move and rightly so. Mourinho demands his defenders play the ball out from the back rather than looking to play the direct pass up to Harry Kane and it has seen Spurs develop statistically calulated WhoScored styles of play of 'possession football' and 'likes to play short passes', both of which play to Rodon's strengths. 

Indeed, three of Spurs' top five passers in the Premier League this season are centre-backs Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, so Rodon should fit in nicely at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with regards to the possession aspect. Standing at 6'4", too, the Welshman puts his height to good use. 133 players have contested 250 or more aerial duels since the start of the 2018/19 Championship campaign, with Rodon's aerial success rate a modest 63.5%. There is room for improvement in that regard, but at his age, he has ample time to strengthen this quality to his game. 

Rodon is adept at defending attacks in the air, but when it comes to denying opponents on the deck, it is his speed of thought rather than his no-nonsense approach that stands out. While Rodon is able to showcase the latter quality to his game to good effect having returned a tackle success rate of 77.0% since the start of 2018/19, it's the positional awareness that has boosted his reputation. 

An average of 1.6 interceptions per 90 in the Championship is a solid return, with that rising to 2.3 per 90 this season alone. It's a similar story with Alderweireld, who relies less on last-ditch tackles and more on being in the right place at the right time to alleviate pressure on the Spurs goal. As a possible role model for Rodon, he could do a lot worse to help take this aspect of his game to the next level under the watchful eye of the Belgian. 

With fellow Wales internationals Gareth Bale and Ben Davies plying their trade for Spurs, Rodon would have familiar faces at the club to help him settle. He may not have been first choice for the club, nor supporters, but Spurs have landed an accomplished centre-back who will only improve with the right surroundings and, at this time, this is north London.