Leeds United have seven matches left to secure their place in the Premier League for another season after their 0-0 draw with Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday.
The Whites are four points clear of the relegation zone heading into the international break and face Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, two of the teams below them, in two of their last three games.
Daniel Farke's side have failed to score in any of their last four matches in the Premier League, which is a concern ahead of the last seven games of the campaign.
daniel-farke-leeds
The German head coach has to find a way to improve his team's attacking output to ensure that they score enough goals to get the wins that they need to avoid relegation back down to the second tier.
One area of the team that does not need much improvement, though, is the defence. Leeds have kept three successive clean sheets in all competitions and Joe Rodon's form has played a significant role in their defensive solidity.
How Joe Rodon has adapted to the Premier League
The Wales international was a key performer for the club in the second tier, helping to keep 42 clean sheets in 89 appearances at that level for the Whites.
Leeds United's Joe Rodon reacts
Rodon has since started all 29 of his appearances in the Premier League for Leeds this season, winning 69% of his ground duels and 53% of his aerial battles in the division.
The former Tottenham Hotspur central defender has been a dominant defensive force at the back for Farke, as evidenced by his duel success rates, and he recently put in a Player of the Match performance in the 0-0 draw away at Crystal Palace.
Rodon has shown that he can handle the intensity and physicality of the Premier League, only being dribbled past 0.3 times per game, and has helped Leeds to have the 12th best xGA in the division (44.7).
25/26 Premier League Joe Rodon
Appearances 29
Goals 2
Pass accuracy 88%
Ground duel success rate 69%
Aerial duel success rate 53%
Clean sheets 5
Despite the impressive way in which he has adapted to the Premier League, though, there is a former Leeds star who is currently an even better top-flight defender than Rodon.
The former Leeds star who is even better than Rodon
During the Marcelo Bielsa era at Elland Road, before Rodon's time in West Yorkshire under Farke's management, the club had several impressive central defenders.
joe-rodon-leeds
One of those impressive defenders was Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Ben White, who spent the 2019/20 Championship title-winning campaign on loan at Leeds.
He started all 46 games for Bielsa's team in the league, helping them to keep 22 clean sheets, but stayed at Brighton for the following season instead of joining the club on a permanent basis.
Premier League White (20/21) Rodon (25/26)
Appearances 36 29
Tackles 50 32
Interceptions 61 26
Error led to shot 0 2
Error led to goal 0 1
Clean sheets 11 5
White's first season at Premier League level was even more impressive than Rodon's current displays, as he helped his team to keep 11 clean sheets and did not make a single error that led to a shot or a goal.
The English star also made more tackles and interceptions for his side, cutting out more opposition attacks, and his form ended up earning him a big money move.
After one season in the top-flight with Brighton, Arsenal swooped to sign the central defender for a fee of £50m in the summer of 2021, just 12 months on from his exit from Leeds after his loan spell in West Yorkshire.
Ben White of Arsenal
Since joining the Gunners, White has made 118 appearances in all competitions for the London giants, typically playing as a right-back or as a centre-back, and could win his first Premier League title this season.
As a player who is currently playing for a side chasing the title ahead of the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, White is currently ahead of Rodon in his career, as the Welshman is battling to avoid relegation at the moment.
At the time of writing, the English star is valued at £26m by Transfermarkt. Meanwhile, Leeds' most valuable player is Anton Stach (£22m) and Rodon is valued at just £13m, which means that White is more valuable than every single player at Elland Road, almost six years on from his departure.
ben-white-leeds
Whilst Rodon has been a solid performer for the newly-promoted side, Leeds would surely love to still have White in their ranks as a centre-back option, because he has gone on to become a terrific Premier League defender.
His form for Brighton and Arsenal, combined with his market value, shows that he is an established top-flight star, and the Whites will be hoping that Rodon can go on to achieve similar things in the future at Elland Road.
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