Tottenham: Daniel Levy set for potential payday as Japhet Tanganga wows with Millwall
Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga might have sparked some interest from clubs around England after his recent form on loan at Millwall.
Tanganga joined the Lions on loan from Tottenham until the end of the season (Tottenham Hotspur Official Website, 18 January).
After a tricky start to life in the Championship, the 24-year-old has begun to find his feet at The Den.
When Tanganga first arrived at Millwall, it had been almost nine months since he had made a competitive appearance.
After seeing very little game time at the back end of the 2022/23 season, he was sent out on loan to Bundesliga outfit Augsburg at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign but failed to play a single minute of football in Germany.
It was therefore understandable that the centre-back would need some time to get back to his best and after his goalscoring display in a 2-1 away win against Southampton (24 February), Tanganga has continued to build on that form.
Tanganga’s current deal in North London is set to expire this summer, although Spurs have the option to extend that deal by a year and Daniel Levy could perhaps look to take that option and sell the player on after his recent form.
Japhet Tanganga could generate a healthy payday for Tottenham and Daniel Levy this summer
After Tanganga’s miserable time in Germany, it looked as if Spurs would struggle to generate any kind of fee for the Englishman.
However, he has now proven that he still has what it takes to make a difference, at least at Championship level, and that could see Levy pocket an extra few million this summer, which would represent a healthy payday considering Tanganga is a product of Spurs’ academy.
Millwall find themselves in a relegation battle at the wrong end of the Championship, but Tanganga’s contributions at the back have helped them steer five points clear of the bottom three.
Following his goal against Southampton, Tanganga started in the Lions’ 1-0 home win against Watford (2 March), helping his side to a clean sheet as he made four clearances, two tackles and blocked one shot (Sofascore).
In addition, he won four of his five ground duels and two of his three aerial duels.
Millwall followed this up with a 1-1 draw away at Blackburn three days later (5 March) where Tanganga was once again on hand to help his side pick up a valuable point by making seven clearances, blocking three shots and completing two long balls forward.
The Lions’ fantastic form continued with a big 1-0 win against relegation rivals Birmingham at the Den (9 March), and it was Tanganga who was the hero as he scored a 90th-minute winner to seal all three points for the hosts.
He also made three clearances, two tackles and one interception while also completing 84 per cent of his passes and winning three of his five ground duels.
Tanganga’s form could be the difference in whether or not Millwall remain in the Championship this season, and if he does help to keep his temporary side up, that will surely attract some interest from clubs around England this summer.
While he likely hasn’t done enough to convince Ange Postecoglou that he is deserving of a place ahead of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven or Radu Dragusin, there is no reason why another club either lower down in the Premier League or elsewhere in the Championship wouldn’t be able to make room for Tanganga.
In other Tottenham news, a pundit has detailed a “huge blow” to Spurs after an injury update on an “incredible” speedster at the club.
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