Liverpool should consider Joe Rodon.
The Swansea City defender has been excellent in the Championship and will surely earn his Premier League move soon – said second tier expert George Elek.
Elek, who hosts the Going Up, Going Down podcast for The Athletic, was guesting on Tifo’s Sensible Transfers series when he made his comments about Joe Rodon.
With 20 starts and 1,793 minutes played, the Welshman was an important part of the Swans outfit for 2019/2020. Could he be Dejan Lovren’s replacement?
At 22-years-old, he would almost certainly be persuaded to move to Liverpool and learn the ropes while he wants for a chance; which might not take as long as he thinks.
Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are famously injury prone, although Matip probably inspires the least amount of confidence. He’s older and is more prone to muscle problems, while Gomez seems to have an unfortunate knack of breaking things.
Rodon is only valued at £1.80 million, according to Transfermarkt, and Elek thinks any team who wants to buy him would be able to snag a deal of exceptional quality – especially if they act sooner rather than later.
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"Elek said: “There seems to be a reticence for top, top clubs to take a chance on Championship players. They’re happy to spend the extra £20 or £30 million on someone after they develop.“The sale value isn’t that high, if a Premier League club comes in for Rodon, he’s going to want to take that move, which means any bartering over price because much simpler for the buying team.”"
If the Reds act now, they could snag themselves a real deal – instead of waiting a few years and getting him, or someone like him, from a Premier League club.
What about his playing style though? Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp needs defenders who are comfortable with the ball at their feet, something Virgil van Dijk, Gomez and Matip are excellent at.
Could the big man, all 6ft 4in of him, be able to carry and progress possession up the field? That’s something that Elek doesn’t think will be a problem.
"He said “It’s one of the most baffling things, covering the Football League, how Swansea have managed to keep a hold of Joe Rodon.“He’s 6 foot 4, he’s dominant in every sense, brilliant on the ball.”"
With 1.56 interceptions per 90 and 0.65 tackles won, according to FBref, Rodon isn’t afraid to put his foot in. And he makes less than one foul per 90, which means he generally does it cleanly.
By comparison, Gomez makes 1.84 interceptions per 90, 0.67 tackles and 0.94 fouls. As we can see, the Swansea youngster holds up fairly well to the man he would be competing against for a place, even if improvements could be sought.
A deal for Rodon would make sense. He would qualify as being homegrown, wouldn’t cost the bank and could provide steady cover in defence while learning the ropes and developing as a player.
What do you think, should Liverpool sign Joe Rodon?