An Early Take on Spurs’ Kevin Wimmer
By Ryan Wrenn
The sample size is too low to make an definitive conclusions, but at the very least we can say that Spurs’ centre-back Kevin Wimmer is looking rather promising.
The 23-year-old was brought into Spurs from FC Köln in the summer for a fee of around £4 million. Köln wasn’t exactly a powerhouse team in the Bundesliga – indeed, they struggled with relegation for much of last season.
In the season prior, however, they earned promotion into Germany’s top flight by winning the second division. Wimmer, then only 20, fought for a starting place on the team and won it, starting in all but two matches after September 1st. He continued that trend into the club’s first term back in the Bundesliga, playing all but two matches in the club’s league season.
Though Köln finished only five points above the drop in that season, the 40 goals they conceded through the season was the best defensive record outside of the top six teams in the league. Their modest point tally had more to do with a misfiring offense than it did a porous defense.
Wimmer’s constant presence in that Köln’s backline made him an attractive target for Paul Mitchell and the rest of Spurs’ scouts. Here was a young, durable centre-back who had played a role in a minor miracle for a newly promoted team in a European top division. He was a potential diamond in the rough, and for only £4 million might prove to be absolute steal.
More from Tottenham News
- Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
- Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
- Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
- Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
- Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help
He faced a long route to the first team upon arriving at Spurs however. While Mauricio Pochettino had cleared out a good deal of the defense, he also brought in Toby Alderweireld to partner alongside Jan Vertonghen. Wimmer would have to settle for bit roles in domestic and international cup competitions to start with, and to his credit he performed well when called upon.
Matches against Qarabag FK and Colchester United weren’t exactly representative of the Premier League experience though. When Jan Vertonghen came off injured in a January match against Crystal Palace, there was good reason to have doubts about Wimmer’s ability to step into the boots of such an obstinate defender as the Belgian.
Over the subsequent three matches, however, Wimmer has suggested he has what it takes to plug the dam until Vertonghen returns at some point in March.
Matches against Norwich and Crystal Palace might not have been especially difficult for Tottenham’s backline to defend against. Neither team was able to overcome the offensive onslaught delivered to them by every Spurs player from the midfield on up.
Still, there’s more to the centre-back role at Spurs than simply intercepting passes and blocking shots. Due to the nature of the build up play favored by Pochettino, every player on the pitch needs to be a competent passer at varying distances, and Wimmer has proved to be almost Vertonghen’s equal in this regard. He might not be as mobile, but he’s got sense enough to know when to cover Alderweireld presses forward into midfield when Spurs have the ball.
The biggest test undoubtedly came this past Sunday against Manchester City. While Manuel Pellegrini’s side initially looked reluctant to test Wimmer and company, by the second half they were coming into Tottenham’s third pretty aggressively. Wimmer acquitted himself very well here from a positioning standpoint, regularly denying routes through which City could get through to Hugo Lloris’ goal.
A yellow card earned almost immediately after Harry Kane’s penalty gave Spurs their first lead of the match held Wimmer back a bit, and he might have been at fault in part for failing to pick up Kelechi Iheanacho before the striker’s equalizer less than 20 minutes later, but otherwise this was the performance the team needed.
Next: Conversation Corner: Tottenham Sweep Manchester City
City might have been his biggest test yet of his brief tenure as a starting centre-back at Spurs, but the next two weeks won’t be easy either. Two matches – home and away – against Fiorentina in the Europa League come amidst an FA Cup match against Crystal Palace this coming weekend and a Premier League match against Swansea the next. Pochettino will presumably institute some kind of rotation in the match against Palace, but Wimmer can expect to start the three other games.
Wimmer’s virtual seamless transition into the starting centre-back role suggests he’ll do well with the task ahead of him. It’s far too soon to say how much controversy there would be once Vertonghen is fit again, but at the current rate Pochettino will at least know he’s got yet another thoroughly capable player waiting to fill in gaps on the bench.