Latest Newcastle development opens door for Tottenham’s Joe Rodon
By Gary Pearson
Newcastle have agreed a fee of £13 million for Brighton defender Dan Burn, opening the door for a possible Joe Rodon exit.
Brighton was waiting patiently for the Magpies to commit to Burn, which they did late yesterday afternoon. The Burn-to-Newcastle deal isn’t just of endemic importance to the two directly impacted teams.
It might also have wider reaching implications, as Burn’s exodus frees up room for Brighton to make a final push to sign Tottenham’s Joe Rodon. News on the Rodon front has been relatively quiet recently. Until now, that is.
Brighton are seen as a viable, even likely, suitor for Rodon, who has fallen way down Tottenham’s pecking order. With Cristian Romero on the verge of an all-anticipated return to the lineup, Rodon is now seen as expendable.
Even with the high unlikelihood of Tottenham securing a centre back in the final day of transfer proceedings, Antonio Conte, with Japhet Tanganga staying put in north London, is open to the move.
The Welshman is anxious for a new lease on life, an opportunity to prove he has the calibre to be a first-choice marshal in the Premier League. That opportunity clearly does not exist at Hotspur Way, especially under a manager who has presented him with just 54 minutes of match time.
If Rodon moves to Brighton, Conte will have five senior centre backs to choose from, slightly belying his two-players-per-position mantra. However, Rodon, even with Eric Dier and Romero sidelined, wasn’t able to get a sniff — though he did suffer an imperceptible, almost negligible ailment.
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The 24-year-old knows he’s come to the end of his Tottenham journey. The question is whether Tottenham will grant him his wish as early as tomorrow, or keep him as an extra layer of contingency until the summer. That all depends on what Brighton is willing to offer.