Leeds United are not exactly where they want to be as they head into the final international break of the year, as they are outside of the automatic promotion places.
However, the Whites are within touching distance of both Sheffield United and Sunderland, in the top two, and are still in contention to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking.
An impressive defence has been at the heart of their success so far this season in the Championship, as only Sheffield United and Burnley (seven) have conceded fewer goals than Leeds (nine).
Only the Blades (ten) have kept more clean sheets than Daniel Farke‘s side (nine), which illustrates how impressive the West Yorkshire outfit’s defensive unit has been.
This has not been down to consistently exceptional goalkeeping from Illan Meslier, however, as the Frenchman has, actually, conceded 1.01 more goals than expected based on xG and made one error that directly led to a goal – the own goal against Sunderland.
The bulk of the credit must, therefore, go to the back four and central defender Joe Rodon has been at the heart of their defensive strength since the start of last season.
Leeds United’s Joe Rodon masterclass
Farke swooped to sign the Wales international on loan from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023, in a move that turned out to be a masterstroke.
Rodon featured in 43 of the club’s 46 regular season matches in the Championship and all three of their play-off games in the 2023/24 campaign, starting 45 of those games, which shows how important he was to the German head coach.
The Spurs loanee helped the team to keep 17 clean sheets in the regular season games, thanks – in part – to his dominant defensive work at the back.
23/24 Championship | Joe Rodon |
|---|---|
Appearances | 43 |
Pass accuracy | 91% |
Tackles + interceptions per game | 2.3 |
Dribbled past per game | 0.2 |
Ground duel success rate | 69% |
Aerial duel success rate | 67% |
As you can see in the table above, Rodon won the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air, whilst rarely being dribbled past by opposition players.
Leeds then wanted to make the deal permanent and reportedly paid £10m to do so during the summer transfer window, with Archie Gray moving to Tottenham going the other way.
Rodon actually endured a difficult start to the current campaign, with an error that led to a shot, an error that led to a goal, and a penalty giving away, but he has steadied himself in recent weeks.
The Welshman has started all 15 of the club’s Championship games and won 50% of his duels, helping his side to keep nine clean sheets, this term.
The 49ers could now repeat the blinder they played with Rodon, who the club had on loan before signing permanently, by securing a deal for Joe Rothwell next year.
Leeds United’s stance on Joe Rothwell
Speaking to Leeds United News recently, journalist Graeme Bailey claimed that the club “would like to keep” the central midfielder beyond his current loan.
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The Englishman is currently on a season-long loan from Premier League side Bournemouth and there is no option to make the move permanent in next summer’s transfer window.
When asked about the possibility of a permanent move for the midfielder, Bailey said: “It would depend on Leeds’ ambition when they get promoted. A very good squad player, he can play a plethora of positions as well. He’d be one they would like to keep, but they’d need to get promoted.”
The reporter added that it would be “difficult” for the Whites to bring him back to Elland Road if they fail to secure promotion back to the Premier League this season.
Rothwell’s contract with the Cherries does not expire until the summer of 2026 and this means that they can still demand a fee for his services next summer, and will not be forced into a deal.
The 29-year-old midfielder, whose skill in pre-season was hailed as “pretty special” by LUTV pundit Tony Dorigo, has stepped up for Leeds this season, amid injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, and has shown enough to suggest that he would be a fantastic permanent addition.
Joe Rothwell could be Joe Rodon 2.0
The English maestro could follow in Rodon’s footsteps by enjoying a brilliant time on loan with the club before joining permanently the following summer.
Rothwell has been starting regularly alongside Ao Tanaka, in the absence of Ampadu and Gruev, and caught the eye with his impressive performances in the middle of the park.
He has started seven of his 15 appearances in the division for the Whites and provided a calming and creative presence in midfield for Farke’s side.
24/25 Championship | Joe Rothwell |
|---|---|
Appearances | 15 |
Starts | 7 |
Pass accuracy | 90% |
Key passes | 21 |
Dribble success rate | 75% |
As you can see in the table above, Rothwell has been reliable in possession, with his 90% pass accuracy, and offered incisive play in the final third, with a whopping 21 chances created in seven starts.
Captain Ampadu is currently due to be out until January with a knee injury and the Wales international could form a strong partnership with the Englishman, when both players are fit.
Ampadu is more of a defensive presence in midfield, rather than offering a lot of creativity, and he could be the holding player of the two, which would allow the Bournemouth loanee to push on and make things happen in the final third.
In the Championship this season, the ex-Chelsea man has averaged 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game and a duel success rate of 69%, whilst only making 0.7 key passes per game.
Whereas, Rothwell has only made 1.2 tackles and interceptions per game, winning 50% of his duels, and this suggests that they would complement each other well, with a good blend of defensive and progressive qualities.
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The 49ers must, then, ensure that they can strike a permanent deal, whether that is in January or next summer, for the midfielder to make him Rodon 2.0 for Leeds.
