Tottenham reportedly set to ramp up pursuit of top centre-back target

 Tottenham is expected to ramp up its pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, seen as one of the club’s primary centre-back targets. 

The 24-year-old has been in Tottenham’s crosshairs for an extended period, and Ange Postecoglou’s arrival has intensified the club’s interest in the Burkinabès defender (Admittedly, I had to Google Burkinabès, meaning from Burkina Faso).

Tapsoba is keenly interested in a move to the Premier League, with Tottenham one of the frontrunners to fulfil his next career objective.

The right-footed, 6″4′ centre-back usually plays on the left side of a central defensive partnership and has outstanding all-around qualities, including breakneck acceleration, excellent composure, and sound distribution.

I used DataMB to compare his analytics with Eric Dier. Ok, I know what you’re thinking. If he doesn’t test better than Dier, why in the world would Tottenham be interested?

Dually noted and, like Tapsoba’s passing, deadly accurate. Anyway, I’ll push forward with the lopsided comparison.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Edmond Tapsoba

• 90.7 percent passing accuracy
• 67.1 percent forward passing accuracy
• 90.6 progressive passes
• 64.7 successful defensive actions
• 79.3 percent defensive duels won
• 48.1 percent aerial duels won (a slightly worrying stat)
• 88.8 progressive runs
• 4528 minutes played in 2022-23

Eric Dier

• 80 percent passing accuracy
• 65.3 percent forward passing accuracy
• 41.5 progressive passes
• 15.9 successful defensive actions (ouch!)
• 5.2 percent defensive duels won (ouch times a million!)
• 67.8 percent of aerial duels won
• 38.2 progressive runs
• 4211 minutes played in 2022-23

While the stats don’t tell the entire story, they play a crucial role in analyzing whether the 24-year-old is the right fit to join Cristian Romero at the heart of Tottenham’s defence.

All looks good, aside from his subpar 48.1 percent on aerial duels won.

The obese elephant in the room is how much Tapsoba would set Spurs back. The Evening Standard published an article at the end of May speculating it could cost up to £61 million. That amount sounds like a gross exaggeration.

It will probably cost between £45 and £50 million to get the deal across the line.

One thing is for sure: Leverkusen has no intention of selling one of their most valuable assets for a cut-rate, which might cause a monstrous issue for Spurs.

Tottenham saved a bunch of cash on the Guglielmo Vicario signing but still has to decide whether splashing out on one player, belying their transfer policy, is worth it.

And if they decide to shell out a wad on one player, should it be Tapsoba, James Maddison, or someone else?

Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo would prove a considerably more affordable option, but there’s also heated competition to secure his services.

Tapsoba is under contract until June 2026 and currently earns about £37,000 weekly.

He made 33 Bundesliga appearances during the 2022-23 campaign and also appeared 13 times in European competition, five in the Champions League and eight in the Europa League.