According to a recent report by the Bild (subscription required), Arsenal have identified Bayer 04 Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah as a top target for the summer transfer window. Bild’s head of football, Christian Falk also broke the news on Twitter with a tweet which read, ‘Exclusive: @Arsenal is interested in @jonatah. The defender of @bayer04fussball and @DFB_Team has a release clause of 40 mio Euros @SPORTBILD’
Tah’s Impressive Season In The Bundesliga
The German defender has enjoyed a solid campaign at the BayArena thus far after helping his team climb to the 5th position in the league standings. He has formed an excellent defensive partnership with Sven Bender and Edmond Tapsoba at the back.
The 24-year-old has played in 26 matches for the German outfit this term and has averaged 1.3 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per 90 minutes across all fronts (stats via whoscored). Tah’s excellent contributions in defence have helped Peter Bosz’s side maintain a decent defensive record in the German top-flight. They have shipped in 29 goals in 22 league matches so far.
The Hamburg-born talent has also earned nine international caps for the German national team and could be in line to be a part of Joachim Löw’s squad for this summer’s UEFA Euro 2020. Tah has gradually improved his overall game within the past 18 months and has firmly established himself amongst the best defenders in German football.
What Will The German International Bring To North London?
Tah is a moderately-paced centre-half who loves to go in for a few tackles and doesn’t mind covering a lot of ground in the process. He can make some vital interceptions for his side as he excels at reading the danger quicker than most others around him. The German defender is also a commanding presence inside his own half as he possesses incredible strength to overpower the opposition in aerial duels. Furthermore, he is an accurate distributor of the ball as evidenced by his pass success rate of 89.1% so far this season (stats via whoscored).
Mikel Arteta has some inconsistent and injury-prone defenders in his squad, with the likes of Calum Chambers, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Rob Holding struggling to live up to the growing expectations at the Emirates Stadium. The jury is still out on Pablo Mari as he is yet to make an appearance for the North London giants.
The Gunners have often relied on the centre-back pairing of David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi in recent matches, and it has paid dividends on the field as they have kept back to back clean sheets in the Premier League this month.
Will Tah Be A Good Fit For The Gunners?
However, Arteta needs to bring in a quality defensive reinforcement like Tah who can add some bite and steel to the Arsenal backline. The German centre-back will be a brilliant acquisition for the Gunners as he possesses all the attributes required to succeed in Arteta’s playing style at North London. Tah’s commanding presence, coupled with his ability to play the ball out from the back, make him a perfect candidate for Arsenal to consider at the end of this campaign.
