Tottenham Hotspur are keen on signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba, but have been warned about the impact the African Cup of Nations could have on their squad due to the player’s involvement with Burkina Faso.
New Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has made it clear to the board how important it is that he signs a centre-back this summer (90 Min).
A range of targets have been mentioned for the position as the Lilywhites look to fix one of their main issues from last season.
BRUSSELS – Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal match between Union Sint Gillis and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Lotto Park stadium on April 20, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. AP | Dutch Height | GERRIT OF COLOGNE (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
At this moment in time, the top two on the shortlist appear to be Tapsoba and Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven (Fabrizio Romano).
Spurs are thought to be making progress on a move for the 24-year-old Leverkusen star (90 Min). Fabrizio Romano recently told AMP (23 July) that Tapsoba will likely cost around €45m-€50m (£38.7m-£43m).
Whether Tottenham opt to sign Tapsoba this summer, or approach a cheaper target, remains to be seen. There could be more to consider than simply the price tag, though.
African Cup of Nations could cause Spurs headache
In a piece for Football.London, Rob Guest has highlighted one pitfall of signing Edmond Tapsoba, due to his very likely involvement in the African Cup of Nations in January of next year.
The tournament takes place in Ivory Coast and begins on January 13, 2024. Initially planned for this summer, the competition had to be pushed back due to the weather conditions in the country around this time of year.
Depending on how Burkina Faso perform at the African Cup of Nations, Spurs could be without Tapsoba for much of January and even part of February. If his country were to go all the way, Tapsoba could well miss seven games for Spurs.
Spurs Web Opinion
This is definitely something to consider for Postecoglou, as it’s all well and good improving our defence but then we would be back to square one again in the middle of the season.
The obvious solution is to sign both Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven, but we know that is unlikely to happen.
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