Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is believed to be keen on a move for Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon, having previously worked with the Welshman at Swansea City.

What's the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has suggested joining the newly-promoted side could be an ideal fit for the 24-year-old, amid reports that Cooper is interested in a reunion with the centre-back.

The transfer insider stated: "You can’t play more minutes for your country than club, so he either needs to leave on loan or go permanently. Not a Championship loan, a Premier League loan, and in the team.

“Forest could be a really good option and that would be a good move from Cooper and of course he would know him from Swansea, so I would put my thumbs up at that one.”

The 27-cap gem remains a regular at international level despite having struggled for game time since joining Spurs in an £11m deal back in October 2020, making just eight Premier League starts in that time.

Dawson 2.0

That lack of action - which saw the £24k-per-week colossus fail to make a single league start in the 2021/22 campaign - may be a point of concern for Forest fans, although the belief will be that the 6 foot 4 ace can rediscover his form under the tutelage of a familiar face.

While he had been handed his Swansea debut under current Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter during the 2018/19 season, Rodon kicked on again following Cooper's appointment the following year, starting all of the first 13 league games of the 2019/20 campaign, with only a lengthy absence due to an ankle injury halting that run.

He would return to eventually make 21 Championship appearances in total that season, averaging an impressive 5.4 clearances, 1.6 interceptions and one tackle per game, with such form ultimately leading to his move to north London.

Having hit a wall in his career under Antonio Conte, however, a fresh change is needed this summer, with his continued impressive form for his country showcasing that he remains an undoubted talent, having previously been dubbed "flawless" by journalist Ian Mitchelmore.

A vital part of the Wales side that has qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1958, the £7.2m-rated gem will seemingly be in need of regular game time in the coming months to ensure he is in prime condition for the winter tournament.

As for the Forest perspective, such a signing could prove to be something of a masterstroke, with the City Ground outfit potentially set to secure the arrival of a player in a similar mould to that of former skipper Michael Dawson.

A product of the club's youth academy, the Englishman began his senior career in Nottingham, featuring for the club in the second and third-tier before joining Spurs in 2005, eventually spending nine years at White Hart Lane and emerging as a Premier League regular.

After a brief stint at Hull City, Dawson returned to his first club in 2018, assuming the club captaincy until his eventual release and subsequent retirement in 2021, with supporters showing their admiration for his services to the club upon his departure.

Like Rodon, the 38-year-old was an uncompromising, old-school defender willing to put his body on the line for the team, with the current crop perhaps in need of a reliable, defensive rock as they navigate their way through life back in the top tier.

Signing the one-time Cheltenham Town loanee could also prove a case of revenge for those at Forest, as they can poach the central defender from the Lilywhites - the same club who had plucked Dawson 17 years ago.

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