Manager admits he was not involved in deal for £11m Spurs man

Tottenham Hotspur rounded off an active summer transfer window with the acquisition of Welsh international Joe Rodon.

The Swansea City central defender made the switch to North London just before Friday’s EFL 5 pm deadline for an initial amount of £11million which could rise to £15million (BBC).

Swansea boss Steve Cooper has admitted that he was not involved in the negotiations over the sale of the 22-year-old.

Cooper made his thoughts clear to the board that he would have liked to have kept hold of Rodon but the decision was made at a higher level.

“I wasn’t involved in the negotiations,” Cooper told the BBC.

“I don’t make those decisions on amounts for players coming in or out. I just give my view and that’s what I’ve done.

“In terms of fees, salaries, contracts, things like that, that’s not my remit.

“I didn’t want him to go. Who would want one of their biggest assets to leave?

“Whatever I feel about it is irrelevant. He has gone.”

Cooper also praised the professionalism of the defender, who told his manager of his desire to make the switch but did not give any sort of ultimatums over his future.

He added: “I have to tell you, he was excellent in the last few days,”

“He came to see me straight after coming back from Wales to let me know that of course he would be interested in a move to Tottenham.

“But he was also very clear to tell me that if it didn’t happen, he would be even more committed than he already is. I think it’s important that people know that.

“There was no banging down the door saying ‘I want to leave, this is my opportunity’.

“He was very clear to say how proud he was to play for Swansea and if that continued, then he would be even better than he was before. Credit to him for that, because that’s not always the case.”

Rodon became Tottenham’s seventh senior signing of the transfer window, following in the footsteps of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Matt Doherty, Sergio Reguilón, Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinícius.