Tottenham News Scout: Edmond Tapsoba could be the perfect defensive signing for Tottenham
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome Matthew Chadder as our exclusive columnist for our ‘Spurs Scout’ features. Each week, he’ll be providing his expertise on researching players to give insight on the biggest talking points at Spurs…
If ever there was a time for a defensive overhaul at Tottenham it is after a season in which they shipped 63 Premier League goals.
Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies are all examples of players who it can be argued have outstayed their welcome, with Spurs in need of some top-quality replacements.
Spurs last seriously competed for major honours under now-Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, and at the time had a consistent defensive partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Nothing has come close to the Belgian wall since.
Under Ange Postecoglou a new defence needs to be built, one which can help propel the club back to the heights they were reaching up until 2019 and the Champions League final. They already have one top-quality defender in Cristian Romero, the Argentinian now just needs a reliable partner.
And according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, that partner could be Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba.
Romano tweeted (21 June), “Understand Tottenham have started concrete contacts to be informed on Edmond Tapsoba as new CB. He’s on the list for a long time — and Spurs are now exploring conditions of the deal on both player and Bayer 04 side.
“Nothing advanced yet — Tapsoba, keen on the move.”
Here, Spurs Scout has had a look at Tapsoba and identified whether he would be the right fit for Postecoglou’s Spurs revolution.
Superpower – Comfortable on the ball
As per stats provided by FBREF, the 24-year-old defender is extremely comfortable on the ball. He ranks in the top nine per cent of defenders across Europe for touches made (80.79 per 90) and this is demonstrated across the pitch as he also ranks in the top nine per cent of defenders for touches in the middle third (42.39 per 90).
He attempts 0.85 take-ons per 90 which places him in the top 10 per cent in regard to this particular statistic and even more impressively ranks in the top six per cent of defenders for take-ons completed (0.59 per 90).
His 1.46 progressive carries per 90 place him in the top eight per cent and his progressive carrying distance of 182.83 yards per 90 places him in the top six per cent.
The passing range of Tapsoba is also extremely impressive. He ranks in the top one per cent of European defenders for through balls (0.25 per 90), the top five per cent for progressive passes (5.76 per 90) and the top nine per cent for passes into the final third (5.01 per 90).
Tapsoba has a far better range of passing and is more comfortable on the ball than both Dier and Sanchez and he would offer a significant upgrade to both of these players in this department.
Weakness – Defensive stats
Despite the Burkina Faso international star’s bright passing and possession statistics, his defensive metrics could use some work and do not show the same promise.
He ranks in just the 64th percentile for tackles (1.69 per 90) and the 63rd percentile for tackles won (1.01 per 90). On top of this, he made just 1.23 blocks per 90 which placed him in the 52nd percentile and his 0.48 shots blocked per 90 left him in the lower 80 per cent compared with his positional peers across Europe.
He also only made 1.12 interceptions per 90 leaving him in the bottom sixty per cent of defenders.
In contrast to the passing and possession statistics, these metrics put Tapsoba on more of a similar level to Dier and Sanchez, with Tottenham’s Colombian defender exceeding Tapsoba in every area.
However, a simple explanation for this would be that Tapsoba was playing in a Bayer Leverkusen team who enjoyed much more of the ball than Antonio Conte’s Spurs side who would concede a lot more possession and defend deep. this would not be the case under Postecoglou and Tapsoba’s skillset would be more suited to the Australian coach.
How much would Tapsoba cost?
As reported by BILD (20 June), Spurs could be ready to pay a big fee to bring their target to the Premier League.
Spurs are reportedly prepared to offer a fee of just over £40million which could be enough to tempt Bayer Leverkusen into selling their star defender.
If Daniel Levy could pull off a deal for this price then it would certainly be seen as a value-for-money signing.
Where would Tapsoba fit in at Tottenham?
Tapsoba would most certainly be the perfect defender for Postecoglou. The former Celtic boss enjoys playing a possession-based style of football that requires his defenders to be comfortable on the ball, something Tapsoba clearly is.
He has become accustomed to playing in a possession-style team under Xabi Alonso during his time with Leverkusen and would therefore be able to slot straight into Postecoglou’s style and meet his demands.
The defender at times played on the right-hand side of a back three while also featuring as the left-sided centre-back in a back four and would most likely be playing as the latter of the two in North London if he was to partner Romero.
Should Tottenham sign Tapsoba?
This is certainly a move that makes sense for the club to pursue. The reported fee is not too high and is certainly affordable.
He is a defender who would suit Postecoglou’s style down to the ground and at the age of 24 already has experience playing in Europe and in the Bundesliga.
With years ahead of him in his career, this could be seen as a real steal later down the line if the centre-back continues his development and hits new levels while playing in the Premier League.
Tapsoba has spent two-and-a-half years developing in the Bundesliga and it may finally be time for him to come and test his talent in the Premier League.
In other Tottenham news, a new senior academy appointment has offered clarity to the club.