Newcastle United have added Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon to their shortlist of centre-half targets ahead of the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mail.
Boss Eddie Howe presented a raft of names to the Toon’s recruitment team during recent meetings to discuss possible targets. He wants the club to bolster the core of their backline in the winter market after running the rule on his players over his first month at the helm.
Howe has relied on Fabian Schar the most among United’s current crop of centre-halves. The Swiss has started all three of his Premier League games, while Jamaal Lascelles has opened two and Federico Fernandez one – coming during Lascelles’ one-game suspension.
Rodon has struggled for minutes at Tottenham so far this season under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte. The Wales international has featured on just six occasions across all competitions, including one Premier League outing on September 11.
Four of the 24-year-old’s outings have instead come during the Europa Conference League group stage. But Conte took Rodon off just seven-minutes into the second-half of his last.
Conte’s decision will have frustrated Rodon, who was often Spurs’ best defender at Mura. He made a crucial last-man tackle, while Davinson Sanchez often looked uncomfortable.
Newcastle eye Tottenham transfer raid for Rodon
Howe and Newcastle are now considering raiding Tottenham during the January transfer window for Rodon. The Toon have also discussed Borussia Monchengladbach’s Matthias Ginter, who is out of contract at the end of the season, and Bournemouth’s Llyod Kelly.
Kelly joined the Cherries during Howe’s tenure at Dean Court, and is now an option for his St James’ Park plans. Lille star Sven Botman is as well, but the Toon expect competition.
Rodon only joined Tottenham from Swansea City for £11m in October 2020 following his international return. But the 22-cap enforcer has failed to establish his presence in north London with just 20 appearances across all competitions.
The £24k-a-week defender impressed Roy Keane during his first Spurs start at Chelsea in November 2020, however. Rodon helped to a 0-0 draw, yet would only play one minute over their next seven Premier League games.
“He did very, very well,” Keane said on Sky Sports. “He spoke well and it looks like he’s got a bright future ahead of him.
“It’s a tough place to go for your debut, he got a busted lip for his troubles as well, but he did really well. Nice composure, nice body language, looked composed out there.”
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