LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 26: Joel Piroe of Leeds United in action with Flynn Downes of Southampton during the Sky Bet Championship Play Final match between Leeds United and Southampton at Wembley Stadium on May 26, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
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Rodon arrived at Elland Road on loan last year and was a commanding presence at centre-back throughout the 2023/24 season.
However, when the Whites missed out on promotion to the Premier League, many fans feared they had seen the last of the Wales international in a Leeds shirt.
He was linked with the likes of Southampton and Leicester City over the summer and reports suggested a move to a Premier League club was likely. He instead sealed a permanent switch to West Yorkshire and Kinnear has highlighted how keen Rodon was on a second move to LS11.
Speaking on The Square Ball’s podcast, Kinnear explained: “When you get a player like Joe Rodon, who after Christmas last year or in the spring when we were doing our kit shoots, insisted on being in the kit shoots for the following season’s kit, which is obviously a disaster for the retail team because if we hadn’t signed him, all the imagery would’ve been dead.
“Joe was desperate to be here and before we had any discussions with Tottenham Hotspur or his agent, he was six months out, showing his desire to be at the club and that’s really important.”
Rodon shone in the Championship with his boyhood club Swansea City before being prised from Wales by Tottenham in 2020. He was loaned to French side Rennes amid stiff competition at Spurs, before a move to Leeds was green-lit.
The 26-year-old formed an effective partnership with Pascal Struijk in Daniel Farke’s Leeds side, later impressing alongside Ethan Ampadu when Struijk was sidelined by injury.
