Telegraph: Joe Rodon on radar for January loan to Newcastle

Newcastle United are in need of bodies as they try to avoid relegation back to the Championship, and it looks like they have their sights set on Tottenham Hotspur for at least one of their needs.

The Telegraph are reporting that Welsh International Joe Rodon, who has played minimally for Spurs, could head to Tyneside in a loan move next month.

Newcastle United are leading among the clubs looking to sign Tottenham centre-back Joe Rodon on loan during the January transfer window. Eddie Howe wants to strengthen his defence as a priority and has the Wales international, 24, in his sights along with full-back Kieran Trippier at Atletico Madrid. As reported by the Telegraph Sport, Burnley’s James Tarkowski is a primary target but he may not leave Turf Moor until his contract expires in the summer.

As we’re all aware, Newcastle are now owned by the insanely wealthy Saudi PIF and want to avoid any delays in pushing to the top of the Premier League. The problem for them is that the Magpies are pretty awful all around and desperately need help. The above-mentioned rumor of Kieran Trippier returning to England is supposedly for £25m but that’s still conjecture. Rodon could slot into a center back position quickly and get useful minutes while Spurs debate on what to do with him.

Rodon’s move to Spurs has been far from smooth. He’s played just 403 minutes this season and only 78 of those minutes were in EPL play. With Spurs now out of Europa Conference League and clearly down the pecking order, a loan benefits everyone. We know there are rumors of Antonio Conte wanting to splash some cash to strengthen Spurs in January, but there’s nothing concrete as to who is being targeted besides the never-ending links to striker Dusan Vlahovic.

We know so little about Rodon and whether or not he’s good enough for Spurs, but if this is being reported, it’s probably safe to assume he isn’t in Conte’s immediate plans. Shipping him north for the rest of the season is not a bad idea. Spurs will pick up a little money in the process before re-evaluating him in the summer. We’ll keep our eyes on this one as it’s a very plausible move.