Joe Rodon says life at Spurs turned him into a man
pThe Wales defender, 25, has made just a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/22830081/rodon-tottenham-wales-future-rennes-france-postecoglou/24 Tottenham appearances/a since signing from Swansea in 2020./p
figure id=attachment_19394221 class=wp-caption alignnone style=width: 774pximg decoding=async loading=lazy src=https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NINTCHDBPICT000748653133.jpg?strip=allamp;w=764 alt= class=alignnone size-thesun-article-image wp-image-19394221 width=764 height=960 /figcaption class=wp-caption-text/figcaptionfigcreditGetty/figcredit/figureRodon struggled to win a first-team spot at Spurs and has had loan spells at Rennes and Leeds[/caption]
figure id=attachment_19410065 class=wp-caption alignnone style=width: 970pximg decoding=async loading=lazy src=https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NINTCHDBPICT000751338426.jpg?strip=allamp;w=960 alt= class=alignnone size-thesun-article-image wp-image-19410065 width=960 height=640 /figcaption class=wp-caption-text/figcaptionfigcreditAFP/figcredit/figureThe Wales centre-back spent last term away from Spurs in France[/caption]
pRodon had a temporary spell away from North London last term at Ligue 1 club Rennes and then joined Daniel Farke#8217;s side on a season-long loan./p
pRodon said: #8220;At Swansea I did have close relationships with the manager, but when I went to Spurs it was more on your own. I learnt a lot in that period being at Spurs./p
p“Coming to Leeds, the manager’s been brilliant with me since I’ve walked through the door.nbsp;/p
p#8220;It’s just nice to have that kind of relationship again, to feel like you’re part of it and you’re wanted.”/p
pa href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/12945060/tottenham-sign-joe-rodon-transfer-swansea/Rodon was signed by Jose Mourinho for £11million/a but failed to win a place under him, Nuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte./p
pHe was also overlooked by new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou — but reckons he has matured despite his limited action./p
pRodon added: “At Tottenham, I learned to become a man in that environment and just handle being on my own, maturing and developing.nbsp;/p
p#8220;But coming to Leeds and having that relationship already and feeling wanted and in the group, it means a lot more to me.”/p
p/p
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pRodon, named in the Wales squad today for the friendly against South Korea and Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia next month, has joined fellow Welshmen a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/23081164/chelsea-longest-serving-player-championship-transfer-ethan-ampadu-leeds/Ethan Ampadu/a and Dan James at Elland Road./p
pHe added: #8220;DJ was excited, he was really excited when the news came out. /p
p#8220;DJ being here for quite a few seasons, just having a chat with him and of course very high regard and respect for everything with the club.nbsp;/p
p#8220;When it came to me and with Ethan also signing here this summer, it was kind of a no-brainer for me.#8221;/p
pRodon was joined in Robert Page#8217;s squad named in Bala this morning by Luton#8217;s Tom Lockyer./p
pHatters captain a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/22543588/luton-star-hospital-horror-wembley-collapse/Lockyer collapsed in last season;s Championship play-off final following a heart scare/a and required surgery to correct an atrial fibrillation./p
pLockyer has made a full recovery and led Luton in their opening two Premier League matches against Brighton and Chelsea./p
pPage said: #8220;It#8217;s a great story. We all watched the events unfold in the play off final. We were all concerned, but there has been nothing but positivity since that day./p
p#8220;He has had some great news, he is back to normal and is now playing in the Premier League, which is unbelievable for him as well./p
p#8220;It is always going to be a challenge when you get promoted to the Premier League, Luton have done really well to be where they are at with the resources they have available to them./p
p#8220;But for him personally he should be very proud of how he has recovered after it. A dream for him was to play in the Premier League and he has achieved that.#8221;/p
pLeeds winger a href=https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/23687465/wales-euro-2024-qualifying-blow-dan-james-abductor-injury/James has been ruled out/a due to an abductor problem./p
pPage added: #8220;It#8217;s probably about a three-week injury so we could push and push him, but we would not have had him at his best. /p
p#8220;And it would be like pushing him to the day before the Latvia game./p
p#8220;I don#8217;t think Leeds would want that and we need people on the grass fit and ready to go because it is obviously an important game for us./p
p#8220;We have seen the scan results and it was an easy decision for us in the end to leave him out.#8221;/p