Leeds could land dream Rodon partner in towering £2.5m star

Leeds United officially confirmed the arrival of central defender Joe Rodon on a permanent deal on Tuesday as their first signing of the summer transfer window.

The 26-year-old star spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan with Daniel Farke’s side and has now completed a £10m transfer to return to Elland Road.

Yorkshire Evening Press reported that the Wales international had a chance to join a Premier League team, with interest from Ipswich, Leicester, and Brentford, but opted to extend his stay in West Yorkshire after an enjoyable first season with the club.

With Pascal Struijk’s recent injury issues and Ethan Ampadu being a midfielder by trade, Leeds could look to find Rodon a new partner at the back for next term by dipping into the transfer market.

Leeds’ interest in left-footed colossus

Back in May, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg named the Whites as being one of the teams in the running to land centre-back Jordan Torunarigha.

The journalist claimed that Belgian side Gent could demand a fee of up to €3m (£2.5m) for the 26-year-old ace, who has one year left to run on his current contract with the club.

Plettenberg added that Stuttgart and Hoffenheim are both interested in signing the Nigeria international, who was born in Germany, and this means that Leeds could face serious competition for his services if they opt to pursue a deal for him.

It has been around six weeks since this report came out but he is yet to move on from Gent and Farke could secure a dream partner for Rodon at the back by acting upon the club’s interest in the Nigerian titan to bring him to Elland Road this summer.

Why Leeds should sign Jordan Torunarigha

Struijk missed the last 29 matches of last season with a groin injury and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to return to his best, or maintain fitness throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

This is why the naturally left-footed Torunarigha could be an excellent addition for the Whites as he would offer a balance when playing out from the back on the left side of the defence, next to the right-footed Rodon.

As you can see in the table above, the towering 6 foot 3 Gent star was an aggressive defender in the Pro League last season as he constantly looked to step in to win the ball back with tackles, interceptions, and recoveries.

This suggests that the £2.5m-rated ace could be perfect next to Rodon as he could be the aggressor who looks to push forward and press up on opponents, whilst the Welshman can sit back and be dominant in duels sweeping up behind him.

The Nigerian colossus was also cultured in possession with 4.79 progressive passes per 90 – ranking with the top 30% of his positional peers in the division – and this suggests that the quality is there for him to play in a ball-dominant Farke team that wants to progress play constantly.

Therefore, the 26-year-old talent could be a fantastic addition to the squad for a fee of £2.5m to compete with Struijk for a spot next to Rodon next term.