A number of Spurs’ Premier League rivals are also in the chase.
Ever since joining Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, Ange Postecoglou has made significant efforts to revamp his defense. He spent up to £43 million in his first transfer window on Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven, then in the winter, he approved a further £27 million transfer for Radu Dragusin of Genoa.
In the middle of the back four, the duo now has choices alongside Ben Davies and Cristian Romero. Although that should be sufficient through the end of the season, Davies’ uncertain future may prompt Spurs to enter the market again soon.
The Welshman, whose contract with North London is quickly coming to an end, caught the attention of Premier League contenders Leeds last month. Although that didn’t work out, writer Paul Brown stated that it wouldn’t be “surprise” if Davies was “granted a move away in the summer” as he prepares for the possibility of playing little time under Postecoglou.
Spurs battling for Tapsoba deal
In this regard, it is said that the Spurs are investigating a trade with Bayer Leverkusen for Edmond Tapsoba. Along with a number of other domestic and foreign rivals, Christian Falk, a journalist for Caught Offside, writes that they are expressing a strong interest in the defender.
Tapsoba is being pursued by Manchester United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, PSG, and Atletico Madrid; Leverkusen is reportedly willing to let him go for around £34 million.
Spurs could have world-beating depth with “cool” Tapsoba
Tapsoba, who cost roughly £17 million when he joined Die Werkself from Vitoria Guimaraes in 2020, has made 164 appearances for the team. Of those, 27 have come this season. The 25-year-old Burkinabe is back in the fold after missing three games because of the Africa Cup of Nations. He has a tendency to play when he is available, making 15 of 19 league starts for Leverkusen, a team that appears poised to challenge Bayern Munich’s stranglehold.
| Bundesliga defenders with most passes into the final third – 2023/24 |
| Rank |
Player |
Club |
P 1/3 |
| 1 |
Nico Schlotterbeck |
Borussia Dortmund |
119 |
| 2 |
Dayot Upamecano |
Bayern Munich |
117 |
| 3 |
Waldemar Anton |
Stuttgart |
111 |
| 4 |
Kim Min-jae |
Bayern Munich |
105 |
| 5 |
Edmond Tapsoba |
Bayer Leverkusen |
101 |
Talent scout Jacek Kulig called Tapsoba “cool” since he was skilled in many of the areas that are crucial for a contemporary defense. He’s one of the finest progressive passers in his position, as the above table shows, and he’s managed to retain an extremely amazing 91.6% passing accuracy thus far, even with his aggressive style of play.
Most importantly, he has the speed required to function in Postecoglou’s system; his speed difference with former Bundesliga rival Micky van de Ven is barely 2 km/h. Spurs may have one of the best groupings of center halves in European football if they can complete this deal before the competition.
