Phil SumblerEven though it is now more than a year since he joined Spurs, the interest for Swans fans in Joe Rodon will always be there due to his close links to the city.
When he left the Swans for the bright lights of the Premier League in October 2020, everybody assumed this would be a good step for Joe.ย ย A more than competent defender at Championship level he had been capped by Wales and looked set for a long career ahead at higher level.
12 appearances in his first season, 8 of them as a starter,ย felt the right kind of return for the player following a move for more than a ยฃ10m fee.ย However, with the managerial door at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium turning into one of a revolving variety, Rodon has not played in the Premier League since September with his appearances this season, one game aside, limited to the EFL Cup, Europa Conference League and FA Cup.
It has long since been speculated that his lack of game time – especially in a year where Wales could play in a first World Cup since 1958 – would mean some level of exit this January but with just three days left nothing has yet materialised.
That in itself feels more than a surprise given the pedigree and experience of a player who is still only 24 yet has 22 international caps under his belt including those at major finals.
So you did start to wonder what would be next for the man from Swansea and now it is speculated that it could be a link up with his former manager, Graham Potter, at Brighton.
But even that move is not guaranteed.ย ย Newcastle, as they bid to try and avoid a humiliating relegation from the Premier League, are lining up Brighton defender Dan Burn but have so far fallen short of the valuation placed on him by Albion.ย ย They are expected to come back with more and it is thought there could well be a point in the near future where that valuation is met and Burn makes a move to his native North East to the club he supported as a boy.
And several outlets are reporting that if that were the case then Brighton have identified Rodon as the man they would want to replace him.ย ย Rodon played in 27 of the Championship games under Graham Potter in his season at Swansea and the Seagulls were linked with the defender before the window started although it was shrugged off at the time by Potter as an area they did not want to strengthen in.
However, any sale of Burn would change that and a move for Rodon – even if it was just an initial loan with an option to buy – would be something reported as being attractive to all parties.
One to watch with interest as an aside for all the Swans transfer speculation of the next few days.
