A scout report of coveted Welsh defender in demand

Kolkata, April 16: Wales have produced some exceptionally talented players in the last few years with the likes of Daniel James, David Brooks, Harry Wilson and Rabbi Matondo having excelled at various times.

Another youngster from Wales who is making a name for himself is Swansea City defender Joe Rodon and it is hardly a surprise that all the top-notch England clubs have all expressed their interest in the 22-year-old.

Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been linked with the young defender but it is believed that Manchester United are leading the race for his signature as they are preparing a second raid on Swansea after they signed Daniel James from the South Wales club last summer.

Here, we look at why Rodon is in demand now.

Modern-day defender

John Stones might have endured a difficult season this time out but he is still regarded as one of the most elegant defenders. The Manchester City defender is simply a treat to watch when he is on the ball and the same can be said about Rodon.

Eye for a pass

Rodon is an all-round defender with excellent ball-playing abilities. He is also a really impressive passer of the ball which is evident from his passing accuracy of 82 per cent this season.

Basics right

With most managers these days having a strong preference for ball-playing defenders, the basics of defending often gets overlooked. Rodon might be blessed with exceptional ball-playing abilities but he has also got the basics right for a defender. Thanks to his huge frame of 6ft 4in, he has a lot of presence on the pitch and he is not easily out-muscled by the opponent strikers either.

Affordable transfer fee

It is strongly reported that Swansea City would be willing to sell their priced asset for only £20million, a similar fee they landed for Daniel James a year back from Manchester United. For a strong, commanding and young centre-back who is blessed with almost everything to succeed at the highest level, £20million is not too much.