Leeds United are set for a big summer transfer window after they failed to secure an immediate return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The Whites are now preparing for a second season in the Championship following on from their 1-0 loss to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley last weekend.
This could have big implications for the next few months as Wilfried Gnonto is reportedly looking to move on and Aston Villa are reportedly eyeing up Crysencio Summerville.
The club may have to deal with star players moving on as well as having to find a replacement for one loanee who may not make his stay permanent this summer.
Joe Rodon's future at Leeds
Daniel Farke may now have to find alternative options at the heart of his defence next season as Tottenham Hotspur loanee Joe Rodon may not return to Elland Road.
Earlier this month, Football Insider reported that the club had an option to make the deal permanent if they had won promotion, and that a deal could be too expensive should they remain in the second tier.
This suggests that the failure to return to the Premier League could put their hopes of bringing the Welsh star back to Yorkshire to an end, leaving the Whites in need of a replacement.
Instead of going out into the market and splashing the cash on a big-money centre-back to come in and replace the Spurs loanee, Farke could unleash a player already at his disposal.
Leeds may already have dream Joe Rodon replacement
Charlie Cresswell could emerge as a dream replacement for Rodon at the heart of the Leeds defence after a season riding the bench this term.
The 21-year-old centre-back, who was hailed as "impressive" for England U21s by journalist Josh Bunting, only made five league appearances this season and was an unused substitute in both of the semi-final clashes with Norwich recently.
However, his performances on loan with Millwall during the 2022/23 campaign suggest that the potential is there for the youngster to breakthrough as the first-choice for Farke in the right-sided centre-back role.
Appearances
28
43
Sofascore rating
7.13
7.19
Tackles per game
1.5
1.1
Interceptions per game
1.3
1.2
Ground duel success rate
58%
69%
Aerial duel success rate
61%
67%
As you can see in the table above, Cresswell's form for the Lions was not too dissimilar to what Rodon produced in a Leeds shirt this season, from a defensive perspective.
He also ranked within the top 38% of Championship centre-backs for progressive passes per 90 (3.23), which suggests that the England U21 international is also a forward-thinking passer who could thrive in Farke's possession-based side.
At the age of 21, the 6 foot 3 titan is five years younger than Rodon and has time on his side to improve and reach the Welsh star's levels of dominance in duels, but he needs time on the pitch to do so.
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Therefore, Farke may find a dream replacement, given they would not need to pay any money to bring him in, for the Spurs loanee by finally unleashing Cresswell as a starter from next season onwards.