Leeds United put the pressure on their promotion rivals with a dramatic 4-3 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Whites moved up to second in the Championship table, ahead of Ipswich Town, and play again on Friday night before the Tractor Boys are back in action.

This means that Daniel Farke’s side can create a buffer between themselves and Kieran McKenna’s men, who would have two games in hand.

Whilst Ipswich would have the chance to move back ahead of Leeds if they win both of their matches in hand, the pressure could be on them if there is a gap to close by the time they take to the field against Hull.

Should the Whites eventually win the race to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, the focus will then turn to the summer transfer window and how they can strengthen their squad.

One potential signing for Leeds is a current member of their first-choice starting XI in the Championship – Tottenham Hotspur loanee Joe Rodon.

Leeds United’s interest in signing Joe Rodon

The Wales international is currently on loan at the club from the Premier League side and there is no option for the Whites to immediately make it permanent in the summer.

This means that Leeds will have to sit down and negotiate a deal with Spurs ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, if they want to keep hold of the centre-back.

According to a report from Football Insider earlier this month, the Yorkshire-based outfit would ‘love’ to turn his current loan into a permanent move in the summer.

The outlet added that Tottenham have decided that they are willing to cash in on the towering defender, who they signed from Swansea, as he is not part of Ange Postecoglou’s plans moving forward.

They already have Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin, Micky van de Ven, and Ben Davies in their squad, and have seemingly decided that Rodon does not have what it takes to compete with them for a starting spot.

Football Insider also stated that Tottenham are prepared to sanction an exit for the Wales international for a fee within the region of £10m to £15m, although it remains to be seen how much Leeds are willing to pay.

The 49ers, who completed their takeover of the club last year, must now avenge the big mistake Victor Orta made with former loanee Ben White by securing a deal to sign Rodon as quickly as possible.

Victor Orta’s Ben White howler

The former Leeds sporting director failed to sign the defender on a permanent move in the summer of 2020 after his sensational season on loan with the Whites.

Marcelo Bielsa and Orta swooped to sign him on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion for the 2019/20 Championship campaign and the versatile star, who played at centre-back and in midfield at times, caught the eye with his sublime performances.

As you can see in the table above, White was an impressive figure at the heart of the Leeds defence as his consistent tackles and interceptions, with a high duel success rate, helped the team to keep a clean sheet almost every other game on average.

His performances led to him being named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2019/20 Championship campaign, as Leeds won the title, and the club then pursued him on a permanent deal.

Orta, to his credit, did put plenty of effort into getting a move over the line. The Whites saw three bids rejected for the Brighton youngster; worth £18.5m, £22m, and £25m.

However, the Spanish chief did not go any further and White eventually signed for Arsenal for a staggering £50m just one year later, which suggests that Leeds had a big howler as they missed out on an incredibly valuable asset.

Meanwhile, they pursued and signed Robin Koch as an alternative from Freiburg for £12m. The German defender played 77 times for the club, was relegated last season, and is now set to leave on a free when his contract expires this summer.

Joe Rodon’s form for Leeds this season

The 49ers must now avenge that howler by ensuring that they do not make the same mistake with Rodon, should Leeds win promotion to the Premier League again.

They must meet Tottenham’s valuation, which is reported to be up to £15m, and snap him up on a permanent basis this summer to bolster their defence, due to his fantastic form in the Championship this season.

Farke was backed by the 49ers in the transfer market last summer and Rodon, on loan from Spurs, was one of the players brought in to improve the backline.

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old titan has been a dominant force at the back for Leeds with a high success rate in duels against opposition attackers on the deck and in the air.

The Whites, who have conceded 37 goals in 44 league matches, have the best defensive record in the Championship, and Rodon has been a mainstay in the team to contribute to that.

The Welsh star, whose “warrior” mentality was hailed by Farke earlier this term, has, therefore, been a key performer for the club with his sublime defensive work, which is why they must make sure that they can snap him up permanently.

At the age of 26, Rodon should be heading into the prime years of his career and there is still plenty of time left for him to develop and improve over the years to come.

This means that the Spurs colossus could be a fantastic signing for Leeds in the short, mind, and long-term should they land him over the coming months.

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His departure could be a massive boost to the club’s books.

Therefore, the 49ers could avenge Orta’s big White blunder by making sure that they do not miss out on the club’s successful centre-back loanee and sign a cheaper, worse, alternative like Koch this time around.