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Leeds United told 'open negotiations now' with Tottenham for Joe Rodon transfer, 'there's money at the club' - Sky Sports pundit
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United …
Paul Robinson expects Leeds United to be investigating the possibility of a permanent deal for Joe Rodon based on his form this season “without a doubt”, and believes they should get moving on it now.
The on-loan Tottenham defender has become a crucial part of Daniel Farke’s line-up as the Whites climb the Championship table, and with the price only set to increase if the club are promoted and transfer rivals join the race the former England keeper is in favour of negotiation right away.
With the 49ers tipped to flex their muscles in the transfer market thanks to a strong FFP situation Robinson believes now is the time to move while “there is money at the club”.
The Sky Sports pundit exclusively told MOT Leeds News: “It’s an option the club will look at without a doubt the way they’ve started the season if he continues to play the way that he’s doing.
“It’s important to maintain that level through the duration of a season but the way that he’s started has been excellent.
“He’s not really found his place since he’s moved to Tottenham, had a couple of loans, done well at international level, not played under Spurs managers and been allowed to leave again this season.
“But I think at Leeds he seems to have found comfort and he’s found a home.
“He’s definitely playing his best football from what I’ve seen and I’ve watched him closely at Spurs but he never really settled, although the promise was always there. You could see that there’s a top quality player there.
“Under Farke, in this system next to [Pascal] Struijk, and the way that he’s playing, he’s started excellently.
“If he can continue and maintain it for the season then Leeds will I suspect investigate the opportunity of keeping him permanently.
“I do think that that will depend on whether they are in the Premier League or not.
“I’ve said many a time that Leeds United is a huge draw. It’s a massive football club. A lot of players, no matter where they are playing, would love to play for this huge football club, whether they’re in the Championship or the Premier League.
“It’s why Leeds are able to get the likes of Rodon, [Ethan] Ampadu, and others to play in the Championship because of the size of the club, the fanbase, and the quality that’s there.
“Whether they’re in the Premier League or not will probably be a factor for Joe Rodon because I suspect if he does continue playing the way he’s doing at the moment there’ll be more potential suitors for him at the end of the season.
“But you would hope Leeds United would be at the front of the queue for his signature regardless of what league that they’re in.
“And from a Leeds point of view if he keeps doing it until January why not open negotiations now? We’ve got the new owners in there, there’s money at the club.
“If the situation is there in the top two or three or four and looking for promotion why not try and do a deal now while they’re still in the Championship
“Because if you’re a Premier League club the price becomes a lot more.”
There doesn’t look to be a huge amount of surgery required on the Leeds United squad in January so locking up the 26-year-old could be a smart move.
His arrival has coincided with the most stability at the back for the Whites in a long time, and unless Farke doesn’t expect him to be a key man in the top flight following the promotion that he is working for then getting ahead of the summer rush would likely save some decent money.
The manager might have other plans for the winter window, in which case a player who is already safe until the end of the season may need to take a back seat, but otherwise there are far worse moves to make.
In other Leeds United news, Angus Kinnear is jointly responsible for the process that saddled Everton with a 10-point deduction.