The Bundesliga is back along with all of its big names. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and the rest took to the field in various ‘Geisterspiele’, or ghost games, at the weekend, all played behind closed doors.
One player taking part is Jonathan Tah, the Bayer Leverkusen centre-back who faces relegation strugglers Werder Bremen on Monday night.
The German international is attracting interest from across Europe, not least the Premier League.
Well-built and standing at close to 2m tall, he is hard to miss considering how frequently he is on the ball. And one of the many clubs taking notice of Tah’s talents are Arsenal, who will be interested onlookers this evening.
The 24-year-old is comfortable putting his foot on the ball and spreading the play, the archetypal modern central defender and a potential alternative for the Gunners to Dayot Upamecano whose form for RB Leipzig has attracted covetous glances from elsewhere in Europe and left Arsenal needing to explore other options.
Over the past three Bundesliga campaigns, Tah has completed a staggering 84.5% of his long passes. This is accentuated by his role in Peter Bosz’s possession-based Leverkusen side, and makes him one of Europe’s best ball-progressing centre-backs.
Arsenal currently have a ball player at the heart of their defence in David Luiz, but only one. The Brazillian is also 33-years-old and only under contract for one more season at the Emirates, posing questions over who fills his role when he departs.
Due to his size, Tah would hold up well in a Premier League defence, although mobility may be a concern, particularly against keen dribblers.
Nevertheless, in a side who are likely to starve their opponents of time on the ball, Tah would be well-suited. This is encouraging, considering Arsenal have the fifth-highest average possession per game this season, according to WhoScored.com.
Another aspect of Tah’s game that would improve Arsenal is his physical presence. This season, the Gunners have won the fewest aerial duels per game in the Premier League.
WhoScored statistics show that Tah wins three-quarters of his aerial battles, putting him in the top 10% of central defenders across Europe’s top five leagues.
Tah is understood to have a release clause of £35m at Leverkusen, but his age, experience and potential to develop further suggest such a fee would represent value for money.
His experience makes him a suitable and mature partner for returning loanee William Saliba. The pair’s skillsets are well-matched, with Tah the ball-playing defender while Saliba’s forte is his tackling, positioning and jockeying of opposition forwards.
Considering Tah has helped Edmond Tapsoba settle at Leverkusen since his January move from Vitória Guimarães, a partnership with Saliba could also have its benefits.
