According to reports in England, Swansea City manager Paul Clement is willing to bring in Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber this summer. Clement, having worked with Carlo Ancelotti as an assistant manager for a short period of time at Bayern, is very familiar to Badstuber and is a great admirer of the 28-year old defender as well.
As the Swans are on the back of another mediocre season, where they finished in the 14th position in the Premier League table while conceding a whopping number of goals(70, second most in the league), it’s no surprise that Paul Clement is looking for defensive reinforcements. Throughout the season, the Welsh outfit has lacked the services of an out and out leader in the backline, with the likes of Jordi Amat or Mike van der Hoorn completely failing to live up to their expectations. It’s time that Swansea should start looking for an experienced defender who can facilitate their backline as they look to come out strong next season and Holger Badstuber might just be the perfect man to do so.
Badstuber is a really good defender who is known for his expertise in ball distribution and overall passing. He is calmness personified when it comes to playing out the ball from the back, which should give Swansea an extra advantage in the build-up play. Another important attribute about the defender is his defensive versatility. Badstuber can not just play as a Center back but as a left back as well, in fact, he played down most of his recent games as a fullback for Bayern.
He also doesn’t get bogged down by high pressing opponents, as he is so calm and composed on the ball and he rarely gives the ball away. A very good trait for a Bundesliga defender, where you play against counter attacking masters such as Hoffenheim, Leipzig, Leverkusen and Freiburg etc. Although Badstuber’s aerial ability is not really his strong zone and is a thing he should definitely improve on.
However, he is a superb defender overall, who is hardened by years of experience at the top level. Had it not been for the injuries he might as well, have proved himself as one of Germany’s top defenders at the moment. So he is definitely injury prone. But his positional sense and tactical astuteness as a defender are very good as he tends to make up for his lack of pace with his amazing positional abilities.
Most importantly, he is a great character on and off the pitch. He can keep the team going along with his humble and funny attitude towards his teammates and media alike. While on the pitch, he can also lead his side quite expertly.
Badstuber, who spent 15 years at a top club like Bayern, is surely no sledge when it comes to experience and he can certainly cope with the pressure of playing at the top level of football.
