Tottenham Hotspur head into the summer transfer window with plenty of work to do as Ange Postecoglou looks to shape his squad in North London.
If we know anything about Ange Postecoglou, it’s that he wants to win.
The Spurs boss is used to winning; he was a champion in Japan and a champion in Scotland before heading to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fifth place and Europa League qualification wasn’t a bad finish for Tottenham, but not quite what Postecoglou wants.
Tottenham therefore need to go through major changes this summer in order to advance on the path Postecoglou has in mind.
That means letting a number of players leave the club and recent reports indicated that up to 15 players could be sold this summer.
Some first-team regulars are on that list, but a number of loaned-out misfits are primed for the exit as they simply don’t fit into Postecoglou’s plans.
Southampton want Tottenham Hotspur’s Joe Rodon
Tanguy Ndombele, Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon unsurprisingly feature on the list having all failed to really live to expectation levels.
Then there is Joe Rodon, who joined Tottenham back in October 2020.
Jose Mourinho wanted another centre back and Spurs pounced for Rodon having been impressed with his displays for Swansea City.
The Welsh international has struggled to nail down a first-team role at Tottenham though, making just 15 Premier League appearances.
After spending last season on loan at French side Rennes, Rodon joined Leeds United last summer – and that move has been a masterstroke.
Rodon was the leader of the Leeds defence this season, racking up 50 appearances in all competitions as the Whites reached the Championship play-off final.
Sadly for Rodon and Leeds, that game ended in defeat as Southampton ran out 1-0 winners at Wembley Stadium.
That may mean Leeds just aren’t the most appealing offer on the table for Rodon this summer as he considers his future.
In an amusing turn of events, TEAMtalk claim that Southampton are now interested in a cheeky move for Rodon.
A Leeds offer is still on the table but Southampton can now offer Premier League football having secured promotion at Leeds’ expense.
Beating Leeds and then pinching their best centre back would be quite the move for the Saints, but it’s Tottenham they will be dealing with and not Leeds.
Tottenham will be happy to move Rodon to the highest bidder; whether it’s Premier League, Championship or abroad just won’t matter to Spurs.
Rodon certainly settled well at Leeds and they can’t be ruled out but that lure of Premier League action with Southampton could be appealing.
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Kyle Walker-Peters swap?
The time has come for Rodon to leave Tottenham permanently and Southampton’s interest presents a potentially interesting option.
Reports in May suggested that Tottenham are interested in re-signing Southampton full back Kyle Walker-Peters.
Tottenham need homegrown numbers and a full back who can play on both sides – just as Walker-Peters can – would be ideal.
Southampton’s interest in Rodon may just tempt Tottenham into offering something of a swap deal, offering up cash plus Rodon for Walker-Peters.
That could make sense for all parties and would be somewhat ironic.
Tottenham sold Walker-Peters to Southampton in 2020 as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg came in from the Saints in what was essentially a part-exchange deal even if they were two separate deals.
Walker-Peters could yet end up back at Tottenham in similar circumstances with Spurs no doubt aware that Rodon could be dangled to Southampton to try and secure Walker-Peters.