Joe Rodon now paying for himself after what ‘excellent’ Leeds United ace helped do v Plymouth
Joe Rodon’s permanent Elland Road switch now feels like it’s practically paying for itself after he helped Leeds United avoid facing a single shot on goal against Plymouth Argyle.
The Whites beat Wayne Rooney’s men 3-0 in their Championship clash on 2 November and proved to the rest of the second-tier why they’re one of the best teams in the league.
Daniel Farke welcomed several new faces to West Yorkshire over the summer but perhaps the most important addition of all was Rodon’s return from Tottenham having spent last season on loan.
Saturday’s game against the Pilgrims only further proved this as, according to Opta stat man Jonny Cooper, Plymouth were just the second team that Opta has on record since the 2013/14 season to not have attempted a shot in a Championship game.
Not only does this show the formidable nature of the Rodon and Pascal Struijk partnership but it also shows how important the arrival of the Welshman to Elland Road could end up being by the end of the season.
Leeds United duo Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk are the best centre-back partnership in the Championship
While calling Rodon and Strujk’s partnership the best in the Championship may be seen as a bit of a bold statement, there’s no other pairing which comes close to the duo.
As was made clear last season with Farke calling Rodon “excellent” (One Football) it was evident that Rodon’s future was set for West Yorkshire.
The duo had a more than solid understanding of one another last season up until the Dutchman suffered his season-ending injury.
This term, the pair have seemed to come back even stronger and, with Illan Meslier behind them as well as Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle on either side, it’s hard to think of a better defence in the division.
While they have been beaten on occasion, they have more often than not proven their worth and have shown why they were all brought to West Yorkshire in the first place.
If Leeds’ form carries on as strongly as it has over the past few weeks, it’s hard to see how they won’t gain Premier League promotion this season.
In other Leeds news, Brenden Aaronson has made an admission about the Whites’ fans this season.
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