It is no secret that Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to bring in a new centre back in the ongoing summer transfer window with Daniel Levy scraping through transfer targets at the heart of the defence and another name has emerged in Maxime Esteve off late. The name of the Burnley defender was among the links with a move to N17 earlier this year but fresh report from L’Equipe insists that the Lilywhites have reiterated their interest in landing the 23-year-old.
There were reports in the winter window of the Premier League heavyweights submitting a bid in the region of €24 million (£20.7m) to bring him to Hotspur Way but whilst any move didn’t materialise in January, Spurs have apparently returned to initiate his signatures this window. When we walk back into the winter, the Clarets were looking for a fee in the region of €35 million (£30m) for Esteve but now we need to see what sort of valuation will they hold on to given that the 23-year-old was named in the 2024/25 Championship Team of the Season.
Whilst the interest in January was widely related to the fact that then-Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou found himself in the middle of an injury crisis after Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were sidelined for extended spells, the interest in him this summer also raises questions about the former given his links with a move away from Hotspur Way given the interest from the Spanish top tier for his signatures.
But if the North Londoners do end up signing the 23-year-old, how would he fit in at N17, especially with Thomas Frank taking charge of the proceedings at N17…
Exploring Maxime Esteve & what he brings to the table
Strengths
The left-footed centre-back is a ball-playing defender who is elite at passing the ball, especially when facing opponents press, and he is known to pass the ball effectively across his body into midfield zones. He is someone who is good at triggering possession from the back, which will be highly appreciated by Thomas Frank given his build-up structure. The 23-year-old has been playing under Vincent Kompany and Scott Parker at Burnley, where he has played in systems that have prioritised structured ball possession, and then without the ball, he has shown a sense of anticipation and game reading which makes him suitable for pressing traps and playing in a mid-block structure.
And he is an athletic profile who has the capacity to hold the defence given that he is tall and has that agility about him given his strong recovery speed, which makes him capable of covering wide channels and managing transitions.
Weaknesses
While he has the frame, I do think that he doesn’t use it to his advantage, given that he rarely leaps or boxes out strongly in the box. There also have been a bit of endurance problems where he has lost his focus when facing sustained pressure phases in the game.
Moreover, given that he has only yet played one full season in the Championship, playing in the Premier League would be a massive jump in terms of quality, especially given how Burnley were highly exposed defensively when he played in the PL under Kompany.
How can Maxime Esteve tactically fit in at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?
The left-footed 23-year-old will bring that sense of balance in a back three as well as a back four, and given his ability on the ball, you could see him given the responsibilities in build-up play.
If we are talking about him in a 3-5-2/3-4-3 structure, he could slot in as left centre-back, where he is tasked with freeing wing-backs to attack, so in a sense his presence helps to keep that numerical balance in buildup phases. And as we mentioned above, he has that passing range, and now you complement that with positional understanding. It ends up playing into the Dane head coach’s hands, given the former Brentford manager’s preference for playing out from the back and building through midfield.
Moreover, we are expecting Frank to implement a mid-block system at Tottenham, and the athleticism that he brings to the table ends up supporting the mid-block system where he is consistently stepping into channels and covering behind aggressively.
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Author Opinion
He is a young man, left-footed, and has progressive capabilities whilst playing in a maintained structure in transitional and build-up phases; now this ends up fitting seamlessly into the system that Thomas Frank is expected to deploy at N17. Having him in the roster would end up bringing that much-needed depth to the roster and bring a long-term option for left-sided centre-backs, especially if Micky van de Ven continues his development in the same way and if he were to demand a transfer out in a season or two.
We think this is one of the transfers that have a high long-term upside, especially given Thomas Frank’s track record with defenders at Gtech Community Stadium.
