Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Tottenham ‘in talks’ over swoop for lightning-quick Bundesliga centre-back perfect for Postecoglou
Tottenham are reportedly in talks over a potential free transfer swoop for a top Bayer Leverkusen and Germany international centre-back, who could even be on the move in the new year.
Jonathan Tah is the player in question, with the 28-year-old’s current contract running out at the end of the campaign and clubs outside of Germany able to discuss a pre-contract from January.
Tah is currently valued at €30m (£25m/$31m) on Transfermarkt, although it’s thought that any interested clubs could land him for less than that in the winter window – if Leverkusen opt to sell rather than lose him for nothing.
Spurs have reportedly made funds available for another centre-back signing in January, given the hamstring problems that continue to hamper Micky van de Ven and doubts over the long-term future of major Real Madrid target Cristian Romero.
They will not have it all their own way in the chase for Tah though, with Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea all keen on the player along with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
However, TBR Football reports that the north London outfit have been in talks with the player and given him food for thought over joining a squad Ange Postecoglou continues to revamp after a summer of outgoings.
Tah certainly fits in terms of what Postecoglou wants from his centre-backs, given his speed and aggression to win the ball high up the pitch. At 6ft 4in, Tah is also a dominant force in the air and would strengthen a Tottenham side that has problems with set-pieces since the Australian took over at the club.
At 28 years of age, he may be older than the current profile of player the club are looking at. However, given the low cost involved and Tah’s experience, he appears to be a sensible fit for Spurs.
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Tah plays pivotal role in Leverkusen success
Tah was pivotal to Leverkusen’s success last season as they ended Bayern Munich’s eleven-year dynasty after winning Bundesliga while also going unbeaten.
He played 48 games across three competitions, with his fine form catching the eye of many clubs, form which he then took into the Euros with Germany
It was anticipated that he would join Bayern after the tournament in his homeland, especially after they allowed Matthijs De Ligt to move to Manchester United, but no move materialised.
Tah has been at Leverkusen since 2015 after signing from Hamburg in a deal worth €7.5million ad has gone to play 370 games for the club, scoring 15 goals in that.
If he does move to Tottenham, he will either be a rotational centre-back to fill in for Romero or Van de Ven or a straight swap for the Argentine if he moves to Madrid. Indeed, Tah is considered a more rounded player than Radu Dragusin at the moment, with the Romanian having some issues since stepping into the side for the injured Van de Ven.
Latest Tottenham news: Postecoglou sack talk addressed / Spurs eye Gent left-back
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou ‘deliberately acts spiky’ towards the media as he wants to avoid being stereotyped as a ‘typical Australian’ and deflect away attention that he could be in danger of the sack – while captain Son Heung-min has sent a message to his manager and their supporters on the club’s current form.
Meanwhile, Gent left-back Archie Brown is on the radar of Tottenham, West Ham, Chelsea, Brentford and Leeds ahead of the January transfer window, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Premier League sides are finalising their list of targets for the January transfer window and have now set their sights on players they want to bring in to strengthen their squads.
One man is getting a lot of attention and has come to prominence this season among EPL recruiters and that’s 22-year-old Birmingham native Brown.
IN FOCUS – Rapid Tah pushing Van de Ven in speed stakes
To put that into perspective, when Tottenham signed Van de Ven he was registered as the quickest player in Germany at 35.97 km/h, although he has since reached a figure of 37.12 km/h for Spurs in their win at Man Utd in October.