As Ange Postecoglou kicked off his Tottenham Hotspur tenure with a pre-season defeat to Premier League rivals West Ham United, it was maybe clear as to why the Greek-Aussie has been seeking to strengthen his defensive unit, particularly, this summer time.
Whereas it’s usually smart to not learn an excessive amount of into these warm-up encounters, the ex-Celtic boss could have nonetheless been involved at seeing his aspect ship 3 times in opposition to the Hammers in Perth, with David Moyes’ males surging right into a two-goal lead inside 23 minutes.
Having endured the sixth-worst defensive report within the division final time period, the Lilywhites will desperately want to enhance subsequent season if they’re to have any hope of regaining their place in European competitors, therefore why a string of centre-back targets have been named.
What are the newest Tottenham switch rumours?
A lot of the hypothesis at current seems to be surrounding the north London outfit’s curiosity in Bundesliga duo, Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van den Ven, with Daniel Levy and co mentioned to have been participating in talks with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, respectively, concerning the 2 central defenders.
That German-based pairing are usually not the one figures whom Tottenham are targetting, nonetheless, with The Solar having reported final week that Postecoglou can also be displaying an curiosity in Crystal Palace rock, Joachim Andersen, with Levy mentioned to have been monitoring the Denmark worldwide since his prior stint on mortgage at Fulham.
Whereas any deal for the previous Lyon ace actually will not come low cost – with the 27-year-old set to command a price of £50m – his sturdy showings at Selhurst Park of late would recommend that he might be the defensive answer that Spurs are craving.
What’s Joachim Andersen’s type of play?
The 6 foot 4 powerhouse affords the advantage of having the ability to present a towering, bodily presence on the coronary heart of the defence, whereas additionally having the standard to play out from the again when required, with that mixture of qualities guaranteeing that the one-time Sampdoria man may have the ability to thrive at one of many Premier League’s elite golf equipment.
That was the decision of pundit Robbie Earle throughout Andersen’s days at Craven Cottage, with the previous Wimbledon midfielder discussing the defender’s suitability to life at Liverpool:
“Proper now, he can be an ideal match for Liverpool Soccer Membership, by the best way. Good measurement, can play, appears commanding, appears like he can organise, he’s 24 years of age.”
These at N17 will even be intrigued by Andersen’s obvious likeness to Manchester Metropolis’s treble-winning ace, Ruben Dias, with the pair mentioned to share quite a few statistical and stylistic similarities, in accordance with FBref.
That’s proven by the 2 males’s want and willingness to get on the ball, with the Palace gem notably rating within the high 20% amongst his European friends for tried passes, whereas Dias ranks within the high 1% in that regard.
Equally, the pair are additionally capable of supply an actual menace on the different finish of the pitch, with Andersen rating within the high 13% for touches within the attacking penalty space, whereas his Portuguese counterpart ranks within the high 18% for that very same metric.
That likeness may also be seen by their management qualities, with Andersen having been named captain throughout his non permanent stint with the Cottagers, whereas Dias has additionally taken on the armband at instances on the Etihad, having been dubbed a “chief of males” by Sky Sports activities pundit, Jamie Redknapp.
That comparability to the latter man is of curiosity such has been the 26-year-old’s influence in Manchester during the last three years, with the previous Benfica man having been hailed as a “man mountain” by pundit Michael Ball as a consequence of his standout showings underneath Pep Guardiola.
For Spurs to then snap up their very own model of the 6 foot 1 titan within the type of Andersen may show to be simply what Postecoglou is looking for.