Joe Rodon: It is the happiest I have been in my career | OneFootball

“I am delighted,” Joe Rodon exclusively told LUTV, after putting pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract with the club. “I think I have said it since day one, since I have come into this club, everyone in the club has been absolutely brilliant with me and I have loved it. So, to extend my time here and hopefully spend many more years here, just looking forward to a successful future.

“For me, I think the direction we have come in and kind of the journey I have been on since I have been here, the ambition and the project that is happening here, it was a no-brainer. So, for the club to believe in me and give me this opportunity, I am so grateful. I am just delighted and can’t wait to get going. It is the happiest I have been in my career. Everything just feels the norm to me now. It is like my second home now, Leeds. The connection I have with the fans and everyone at the club is second to none.”

The central defender has been an integral part of the side since he initially arrived on loan ahead of the 2023/24 season. One summer later, that temporary switch became a permanent one and Joe would go on to play in almost every minute as the Whites lifted the Sky Bet Championship trophy.

Reflecting on what drew him to West Yorkshire in the first place, the prospect of getting more football under his belt was the drive. Fast forward a few years and now going into his fourth campaign with the Whites, and second in the Premier League, it is safe to say things went somewhat according to plan.

“It was more just kind of playing. I had been in a moment where I wasn’t playing at all. So, yeah, that loan season to come in and play so many games that I did, and of course what happened, happened. But then to come back and start that journey, it has been a dream come true for me. I am really looking forward to what is ahead.

“It feels a bit mad because we have kind of come a long way in a short period of time since I have been here. So, yeah, I think the ambitions and the challenges have to change every year. Last year was about staying up and being in the Premier League. Now, it is about pushing on again one step at a time. I am sure we will get there.”

After finishing the maiden term back in the top-flight in an impressive 14th place, it feels like no sooner had the action finished than it is back underway, with United travelling to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

Four new players have arrived across the summer, including defensive reinforcements in the form of towering centre-half Tarik Muharemović, vastly experienced Swiss international Nico Elvedi and Three Lions goalkeeper James Trafford. With stadium redevelopments underway in the background as well, the future looks bright according to Rodon.

“Not just for me, but for everyone involved, I think it is just really exciting,” he added. “The players that we brought in this summer, they have only lifted the competition and the quality of the team. This is what we want. We want a really competitive, strong squad. Everyone knows how difficult the Premier League is.

“Like you have seen, the players we brought, they are top players and I am sure they are going to help the group improve even more. We will take one game at a time and hopefully push on further this season. Of course, staying up is very difficult but it is always the next season that is always very challenging. We take one game at a time. We don’t want to get carried away. But of course, we want to improve what we did last season. We want to push on from what we did last season and hopefully we will see where that takes us.”

Part of the leadership team behind the scenes within the first team squad, the centre-half turned right winger in recent weeks knows nothing can be achieved without everyone buying in and playing their part under manager Daniel Farke. Joe started 35 games in the Premier League in the previous term, scoring two goals, and alongside his vast experience on the international front – capped 62 times by Wales – believes that atmosphere and the team’s knowhow gives those all-important extra few per cents.

“I think we have created such – and credit to the boss as well – a great environment, an amazing group of lads and a brilliant dressing room to be in. Everyone wants to be in it. That has been here since I came in and just improved gradually over the years. Long may it continue. I think that kind of showed last year as well when, you know, we were struggling and we turned it around.

“I think the togetherness and the unity in the squad is unbelievable. Over this pre-season, with the new boys coming in, I feel like they have settled in quickly. It shows the environment we have here and how beneficial the group is. I think it is really important to have that togetherness. We are not going to win every game. There are going to be difficult times in the season. That will show how together the squad is.

“Of course, the fans as well, they get us over the line,” the Welsh international finished with, discussing the backing of the supporters he calls unbelievable. His words, echoed by many. “I have run out of words to describe it. When I first came here and I got told that, then seeing that over the last few seasons since I have been here, it has been unbelievable for me and of course my family seeing it as well. We just want to give everything on the pitch and make them proud.”