Can Jose Mourinho’s Trusted Defender Joe Rodon Regain Spurs Spot After Toby Alderweireld’s Exit?

Tottenham Hotspur are going through a phase of transition right now, and Joe Rodon is caught in the middle of it. The English club had one of the best back lines in the Premier League in 2016, but those days are long gone now. The men responsible for their defensive solidity are gone, too.

Belgian defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were the two rocks at Tottenham Hotspur, and they were two of the best defenders in the league for a long time.

However, Vertonghen left the club to join Benfica last season. Now, Alderweireld has followed him out of the door with a move to Qatari side Al-Duhail SC.

The man to step into his shoes is already at the club. 23-year-old Welsh defender Joe Rodon has won over some fans at the club.

However, he failed to convince former manager Jose Mourinho (who does know a thing or two about good defenders) of his caliber and hence saw limited playing time under the Portuguese manager.

It’ll be interesting to see if Spurs’ new manager Nuno Espirito Santo likes him. It’ll be hard not to do so as he has put in some amazing performances for Spurs. He only signed for the North London club last season and made his first start against Chelsea.

Spurs drew the game 0-0. The former Swansea man made 12 appearances for Spurs in the Premier League. He also has 18 caps for Wales and played all four games for his country in the recently concluded UEFA EURO 2020.

Joe Rodon and his playing style

The Welsh center-back is a smart and aggressive player with great physical attributes. Rodon is 1.93 meters tall (6’3”) but has quick feet and an ability to use his body that helps make a naturally gifted defender. He has shown great signs of being a defensive rock whenever he got playing time and he is incredibly mature for his age.

Additionally, Rodon can operate in tight spaces and has relatively good ball control. He wins a lot of duels aerially and would be a good partner for either Davinson Sanchez or Joseph Tanganga.

However, he has shown some shakiness while playing in a back three and will only get better with more game time and experience.

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