Why Rodon and his ready-made partnership could really ease the pain of losing Gray

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, of around £40m ($50.6m) for the teenager, should ease that PSR concern and leave Leeds in a healthy position when it comes to keeping their other assets.

While this deal 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 of around £10m.

After a successful loan spell last season in which he made 50 appearances in all competitions for Daniel Farke’s side, Leeds have always retained an interest in bringing back the Spurs defender. If it’s possible to overlook the thrills of the Gray deal in the trade, securing Rodon’s services permanently should be celebrated as a shrewd signing. He rests in the memory of Ben White’s stellar season on loan from Brighton in 2019-20, which later took him out of their reach when they saw several bids rejected and he later signed for Arsenal for £50m.

Rodon was a wanted man. Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester City were among the clubs said to be in for the Welshman, but the Rodon-Gray bids mean a familiar trade route between Leeds and Spurs is back in action. This path has previously been taken 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 is either a £25-30m deal plus Rodon (according to Spurs) or £40m for Gray moving one way and a separate £10m deal pounds for Rodon to drive 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 amortize their transfer fee over the course of his four-year deal. In financial terms – an awful way to talk about the future of an 18-year-old boyhood fan who, if not for PSR, should have been Leeds’ crown jewel for years to come – Rodon in, Gray out seems to hold more . value for United.

What about football? Gray is a generational talent with 52 appearances under his belt last season, either at right-back or in central midfield. Rodon, 26, meanwhile, has been a central figure in the backline at right centre-back, playing alongside compatriot Ethan Ampadu.

In positional depth, at least, there are ways Leeds can cover an exit like Gray’s more easily than finding a player as well-suited to a Championship promotion tilt under Farke as Rodon. The former Swansea man is a known entity for Leeds and any degree of guarantees in a player usually costs big money. Rodon’s value to the team last season was clear to see.

🔥 Rolls Royce Rodon! pic.twitter.com/STryVPtbfB

— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 2, 2024

Farke is a big fan and it’s easy to see why. Rodon is a fighter and had a black eye or a bloody nose several times last season. Having started alongside Pascal Struijk before his season-ending injury, Rodon and Ampadu formed a solid partnership in the back line. They worked out – the ever-present Ampadu and Rodon logging 3,724 minutes that season – and the continuation of that deal will be a major asset in the new season.

The contrast between last season and the one before it is stark. Farke stiffened Leeds defensively, which required the right players to execute what he needed before adding to his duties as a creative foundation. Leeds fans will need no reminding (and it goes without saying that a struggling Premier League side is unlikely to have a solid defence) that they have 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 he’s dragged into a foot race with a striker – which Farke spoke of as an asset to his team, allowing them to play a high line.

Among Rodon’s many defensive standouts last season was a goal-sparing tackle against Watford in March’s 2-2 draw. As Emmanuel Dennis crossed on goal, Rodon was able to show the striker before executing a perfectly timed tackle.

Rodon recovered the ball (shown in the photo below) and goalkeeper Illan Meslier was able to collect.

Another highlight came in the 3-1 win against Swansea City in November, when he managed 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 clipped Lowe’s pass to Paterson on the overlap and cleared the danger.

He is also important in the air, with StatsPerform data showing that among Championship defenders who played 3,000 minutes or more last season, Rodon came 11th in aerial duels with 185 (Millwall’s Jake Cooper a was in first place with 299). Rodon ranked sixth under the same parameters for headers with 113 over the course of the season (Preston’s Liam Lindsay was top with 139), while both Leeds centre-backs were in the top 20 for blocks (Ampadu in 14th place, Rodon in 16th place).

Importantly, Rodon chose Leeds when he had the chance to go elsewhere this summer. The loan spell didn’t stop him from giving it his all for the shirt last season, but it’s a particularly welcome addition on a permanent basis.

With Leeds aiming for promotion this season, the value of Rodon becoming a Leeds player should ease the pain of losing Gray. But in modern football, where being a fan feels more about studying spreadsheets than enjoying the joy of the sport, feelings about the wider context of understanding will take some time to wash away.

GO DEEPER

Inside Archie Gray’s move to Spurs, his exit from Leeds and a frantic 48 hours

(Top photo by Matt McNulty via Getty Images)