Tottenham Hotspur are trying to bolster their defence this summer for multiple reasons and Fabrizio Romano said in his Caught Offside column that the North Londoners are still ‘working’ on a deal for Edmond Tapsoba.
Spurs finished outside of the European places last season (8th) and conceded more goals than all but five Premier League clubs (68), so Ange Postecoglou is determined to shore things up after taking charge.
Tottenham have Japhet Tanganga, Joe Rodon, Davinson Sánchez, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero at their disposal at centre-back, but Tanganga has been short of playing time, Rodon was loaned out in 2022/23, and Sanchez has been linked with a move away, so replacements are needed.
Tapsoba, who has played for Salitas, Leixões, Vitoria Guimarães, joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 and has made 137 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals with two assists. The 24-year-old has been a regular at the Bay Arena ever since his arrival and missed only two games in the whole of last season.
Tapsoba averaged more tackles per game (1.5) in the Bundesliga than Sanchez (1.3), Dier (0.9) and Tanganga (0.8) in the Premier League, so he would be an improvement on their current options. The Burkina Faso international also averaged more interceptions per game (1.1) than Sanchez (0.7) and Tanganga (0.5).
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Leverkusen finished sixth in the Bundesliga and had the seventh-best defensive record, so it’s easy to see why Spurs are interested in signing Tapsoba this summer.
Romano says the centre-back is a top target for the Lilywhites and they are ‘working’ on a deal, but it’s not easy as Leverkusen are demanding a sizeable fee. Not only that, but Tottenham could face competition with rival clubs tipped to join the race.
Romano said in the Caught Offside column:
“Edmond Tapsoba remains a player to watch. Tottenham are still working on this one, he remains a top target for Spurs in defence. Still, it’s not an easy deal to get done because Bayer Leverkusen are asking for a big fee but Spurs are still trying to find a way,”
“Also with Tapsoba, let’s see if other clubs could join the race for him too – it’ll be one to watch, definitely.”
Romano said on his Here We Go podcast that Tapsoba has a £45m asking price, so he won’t come cheap. Tottenham also need to make room for a new face, so Postecoglou might want to sell at least one existing player to fund a new arrival. Sanchez has had an offer from Spartak Moscow agreed by Spurs, but he’s reluctant to go to Russia.
