Spurs: Tottenham are “very strong” on Edmond Tapsoba
The club are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the central defender this summer.
An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their interest in signing Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer Leverkusen ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
What’s the latest on Edmond Tapsoba to Tottenham?
Speaking on his YouTube channel this week, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the defender is an active target for the club this summer.
“This list includes Edmond Tapsoba, a player always appreciated by Arsenal but not a priority this summer because I’m told he’s too expensive.
“Keep an eye on Tottenham for Tapsoba because he’s one of the players they’re following since a long time. Both Arsenal and Tottenham sent their scouts to follow Tapsoba. Tottenham are very strong on him, from what I’m told.”
It has previously been reported this summer that a bid in the region of £61m would be required to tempt the Bundesliga side into parting ways with the talented enforcer, although it remains to be seen whether or not Spurs would be willing to meet those demands.
Ange Postecoglou has made one addition to his squad since joining from Scottish giants Celtic – Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent deal from Juventus – and Tapsoba appears to be on the Australian’s wishlist to join the Sweden international.
How did Tapsoba perform last season?
The Burkina Faso international, who was once dubbed a “monster” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, did not enjoy his best campaign in the Bundesliga in 2022/23.
He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 across 33 appearances for Leverkusen and that was lower than the average rating the enforcer managed in both 2020/21 and 2021/22.
Tapsoba averaged a score of 7.17 and 7.00 in the previous two seasons respectively and this suggests that his performances have been on the decline over the last couple of years, which is a potential red flag for Spurs.
The 6 foot 4 colossus has remained an imposing figure at the back throughout that time, though, as he has won at least 59% of his duels in the Bundesliga since the start of the 21/22 campaign. This shows that the right-footed gem is a dominant defender who is able to win the majority of his contests against opposition forwards.
His ability on the ball could also be attractive to Spurs. Over the last 365 days, Tapsoba ranks in the top 8% or higher of players in his position in the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European Competitions for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90, which shows that he excels at breaking lines and driving forward with the ball to set his team on the attack.
For context, Cristian Romero does not rank higher than the top 25% in either statistic and this indicates that the Leverkusen man mountain could be an upgrade for Spurs in terms of what they do in possession of the ball.
