Jonathan Tah needs no introduction to Spurs fans. The German centre-back has been linked with a switch to the club many times before, and his name is being mentioned again. Spurs, at times, concede goals far too easily, and bringing in Tah could prove to be the best business they’ve done in years.
If you cycle back several months, it looked almost certain that Tah, 28, would be leaving Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen to sign for Bayern Munich. But after a move failed to materialise, it looks almost certain that he will wait until the summer and leave as a free agent. That is unless a team is prepared to pay for him in January, which is what Spurs may be forced to do to jump the queue.
While Ange Postecoglu’s side are in tenth at present, they’re only three points off third, so all is not lost. They remain one of the popular picks where Premier League online betting is concerned because they’ve proven themselves capable of beating good teams comprehensively, with the 3-0 away win against Manchester United and the 4-1 home win over Aston Villa standing out.
What they need to find is consistency, and more specifically, defensive consistency. Micky van De Ven is currently out injured again, which leaves Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin as the centre-back options, with the latter yet to really live up to expectations in a Spurs shirt.
If Spurs acquired Tah, which wouldn’t be an easy deal to pull off, they know they’d be bringing in a world-class centre-back and a proven winner. Tah won the Bundesliga, the German Super Cup and a domestic trophy last season with Leverkusen, and he’s played European football at club level and racked up thirty-two senior caps for his country, too.
The only issue for Spurs right now would be that Tah is a player in demand, and he seems to still have his heart set on joining Bayern Munich and could be prepared to wait until the summer when he can sign for them as a free agent. It’s likely that the only way to avoid this outcome would be to bid in January and offer a big financial package to convince him to head to the Premier League to battle it out for a run at qualifying for Europe.
At twenty-eight years old, twenty-nine in February, Tah will be in his prime years. Centre-backs are thought to be at the top of their game between the ages of 28 and 31, and this could be the ideal time to make a move, especially as Van De Ven continues to struggle with injury problems.
If Spurs don’t sign Tah, they will almost certainly be adding to their centre back options as soon as January, be it with a permanent signing or a loan deal. It’s an area where they’ve come unstuck on too many occasions this season, but if they can make the right addition, they could enjoy a very successful campaign.
