Reported Celtic target Joe Rodon demonstrates leadership ability with stirring Swansea City speech

Follow us on Google Discover

Celtic and Manchester City linked starlet Joe Rodon is captain of Swansea’s Under-23 side – and with good reason.

It says a lot about Joe Rodon that he is captain of Swansea City’s Under-23 side at the age of just 19. The ball-playing centre-half is not merely a hugely talented young defender but, from the initial prognosis, a natural-born leader too.

And it’s this combination of skill and mental fortitude that has both Celtic and Manchester City fawning. According to The Sun, Pep Guardiola’s side are extremely keen on a defender who has been likened to City’s very own John Stones.

That tells you a lot about Rodon’s playing style, largely that he is a typically modern centre-back blessed with excellent technique and reading of the game. The report adds that this has also impressed Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who has even made trips to watch Rodon in action for his former club’s academy side.

And it’s usually a sign of a good leader if they are willing to step out and confront the media after a defeat – that is exactly what Rodon did after a difficult start to Swansea’s Premier League 2 season.

True leader

“It is time for us to step up in the league and make a claim,” Rodon told the club’s official website. “Our performance and result against West Ham (a 5-2 defeat last month) did not do us any favours. We know we need to produce a better performance against Derby today.

“We let ourselves down in the last game and need to come together stronger and produce a better performance tonight.

“I am excited and determined for this game. We bounced back well from defeats last season and need to start doing that again.”

Rodgers and Guardiola will no doubt be impressed by Rodon’s willingness to make himself heard and galvanise a squad that will be suffering after a difficult start to the new campaign.

And it is exactly this attitude that could ensure the highly-rated teenager can step up and offer Celtic some much-needed cover in an injury-stricken defence – even in high pressure encounters both domestically and on the continent.