Tottenham Hotspur rebounded from a recent crisis with a convincing 4-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League, and Ange Postecoglou will now look ahead with optimism.
The Australian manager had engineered a stunning start to the campaign after his summer appointment, with Spurs winning eight of their opening ten fixtures before the recent slump, with the injury-ravaged squad struggling to maintain their solidity.
But still just seven points off first-placed Liverpool after 16 matches, Tottenham could undoubtedly surprise a few and construct a first-class streak over the coming months.
einforcements will be needed, however, with the strengthening of the defence taking precedence down the N17.
Tottenham transfer news – Jonathan Tah
According to Spanish reports, Tottenham have entered the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah, with the 27-year-old eager to try his hand (or foot, more precisely) in the Premier League.
Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, have surprisingly leapt into pole position in the Bundesliga this term, currently three points ahead of Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich, and Tah has been instrumental, starting 13 of the 14 fixtures.
The 6 foot 5 Germany international is out of contract in 2025 and the appropriate time to cash in might be drawing near, with Kicker reporting that his sale could be granted for €18m (£15m).
Jonathan Tah’s style of play
The 21-cap international has remarkably scored four goals from 20 appearances across all competitions this season, also completing 5.7 ball recoveries and 4.1 clearances per game, as per Sofascore.
| Jonathan Tah: Similar Players | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Club |
| 1 | Gabriel Magalhaes | Arsenal |
| 2 | Eder Militao | Real Madrid |
| 3 | Pau Torres | Aston Villa |
| 4 | Manuel Akanji | Manchester City |
| 5 | Mathjis de Ligt | Bayern Munich |
| *Sourced via Football Transfers | ||
As per FBref, Tah ranks among the top 3% of centre-halfs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 17% for goals scored per 90.
The table above also portrays the similarity to some of Europe’s foremost ball-playing defenders, with the likeness to Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes of particular note.
The Brazilian has been described as a “beast” by ex-FOX reporter Robert Lus and was integral in Arsenal’s rise last season, starting all 38 Premier League matches and completing 90% of his passes, making 3.2 clearances per game and winning 71% of his ground duels.
Tottenham could mirror their neighbours’ success should Tah join the fold, he would be a big upgrade on Eric Dier, who is out of contract in June and clearly not in Postecoglou’s favour within the backline.
How Tah compares to Eric Dier
Once described as a “defensive battleship” by one-time teammate Christoph Kramer, Tah is far better suited to Tottenham’s new style under Postecoglou’s stewardship than Dier is, with the England international’s chances of earning a contract extension somewhat infinitesimal at this point.
Dier, aged 29, has only featured twice this season and sat recent fixtures against Aston Villa and Manchester City out, with Postecoglou opting for full-backs Emerson Royal and Ben Davies to form the central defensive axis.
While Dier has been something of a stalwart for Tottenham, he looks incongruous in Postecoglou’s system, with his ranking among the bottom 46% of positional peers for pass completion and the bottom 8% for progressive passes per 90 illustrating this.
With Tah’s crispness in possession and knack for finding space in the area to strike home, he would be a brilliant addition, complementing star duo Van de Ven and Cristian Romero and continuing the rebuild.
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