View: Eric Dier may be forced to pack his bags in weeks as Tottenham explore Edmond Tapsoba transfer move
A new era is dawning at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium under Ange Postecoglou and senior man Eric Dier may now be fearing for his future after what’s lined up in the transfer market.
Since the Englishman joined Spurs from Portuguese side Sporting CP for a bargain £4m in 2014, Dier has had a very mixed bag of a career in north London, proving a steady defensive stalwart at times but also becoming a scapegoat for the perennial failure that the club have long been associated with over the past decade.
Towards the end of Pochettino’s tenure at Spurs, the English international began to transition to centre-back, where he has played since Jose Mourinho’s stint at the club.
Since the 2019/20 season, the former Everton youth player has made 132 appearances for the north London outfit at the heart of the defence, in addition to 10 appearances at centre-half for England, and even for Gareth Southgate, he’s been inadvertently deemed not good enough to even usurp a struggling Harry Maguire.
It’s not been plain sailing since the transition for Dier, with him making a number of high-profile mistakes, most notably last season against Liverpool and Brentford, and receiving plenty of criticism from fans, journalists and pundits alike.
However, every manager that comes through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium seems to consistently pick the Englishman which certainly shows his worth to the club, but under Postecoglou, Dier’s place in the team may now finally be under threat.
The former Celtic boss has been regularly associated with an expansive, progressive, high-octane style which he utilised so impressively during his two years at Parkhead and the England international hasn’t even proven over the past 365 days that he can fulfil the progressive duties that Postecoglou demands from his centre-backs, ranking only in the 60th percentile for pass completion per 90, amongst centre-backs within Europe’s top five leagues, and in the 40th percentile for progressive passes per 90 [FBRef].
For that reason, the Australian boss is well within his rights to seek out potential upgrades in the market not only to increase the technical flooring of his whole team next season but to possess the players well versed in fulfilling those progressive duties as well as being dominant and destructive off the ball.
One defensive target for Spurs is the perfect tonic to perform those unique characteristics and while also being a stark upgrade on Dier and that man is Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham are working on deals for both Tapsoba and Wolfsburg defender Micky Van de Ven.
Described by the Bundesliga website as having “frightening heading abilities” as well as possessing “incredible composure, speed, strength and exceptional passing ability”, it’s easy to see why Tapsoba has been on the list of several top clubs in Europe.
And should Tottenham complete this deal, it could prove one of their most impressive and transformational signing since Son Heung-Min.
Whilst maintaining 1.1 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and three clearances per game in the Bundesliga is admirable, it is his 86% pass accuracy and astronomical 89% dribble success rate that truly makes him the perfect modern-day centre-back, via Sofascore.
Amongst centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues, Tapsoba ranks in the 95th percentile for progressive passes, 92nd percentile for progressive carries, and 94th percentile for successful take-ons and in the 85th percentile for shot-creating actions highlighting his unreal abilities in possession and influence when creating chances, even as a centre-back.
The Burkino-Faso centre-back is the perfect foil for Postecoglou’s system because of his incredible bravery when playing out of the back, even when pressured, and his ability to weave past onrushing pressure to progress his team into more telling areas of the pitch, evidenced by his ranking in the 85th percentile for carries into the final third and 91st percentile for passes into the final third.
His stats are absolutely incredible, as seen on FBRef marking him as arguably the most impressive signing Spurs can make this summer to transform and revolutionise the whole team tactically next season. And more crucially, it could well force a declining Dier to pack his bags in North London.
Given Tapsoba’s readiness to compete at the elite Champions League-level platform in the immediate future, this signing would be even more significant and impressive should a Euro-less Tottenham secure his signature.
Get this one done.
In other Tottenham news, one pundit has backed Maddison to shine under Postecoglou at the North London club.