According to Christian Falk, Tottenham have received a boost in pursuit of Jerome Boateng. The Bayern Munich defender will not be handed a new contract by the Bavarian with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. Tottenham are among the clubs interested in his services though the Lilywhites are expected to face stiff competition from league rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
Does Jerome Boateng Still Have What It Takes?
Jerome Boateng’s decline truly began when Joachim Loew announced he was one of three players set to be chalked off from his plans in the German national team. The move made sense at the time as players like Niklas Sule and Matthias Ginter were starting to become premium Bundesliga defenders while there was a noticeable dip in quality in Boateng’s game.
This season, however, the German centre-back has proved that class is indeed permanent, having played a major role in Hansi Flick’s defensive setup. In the high defensive line that usually requires speed from the two centre-backs, Boateng has made up for his lack of pace with a brilliant understanding of the game. The 32-year-old has also been very effective with his tackles when Bayern have sat deep due to pressure from the opposition attack.
Boateng’s accuracy in tackling has come in handy in terms of breaking down any counter-attacks as well, and with the likes of Benjamin Pavard and Sule lacking form, his performances have been quite useful for the Bavarians.
Should Tottenham Go For Boateng?
Unfortunately for Boateng, Bayern Munich are now ready to move on and build a new defensive core that revolves around young players. It could serve as an ideal opportunity for Tottenham to get their hands on one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga.
Indeed, Boateng could be very useful at Spurs who have lacked the consistency and discipline in the defensive department this season. His experience at the highest level of football, meanwhile, could come in handy as well, especially following the departure of Jan Vertonghen last summer.
More importantly, however, Boateng is an ideal fit for Jose Mourinho’s tactical setup that requires more discipline and commitment rather than pace. He can, therefore, potentially build an ideal defensive partnership alongside someone like Eric Dier, whose robust style of play could combine well with the more technical nature of the German centre-back.
That said, it won’t be a walk in the park for the Lilywhites to secure the services of Boateng in the January transfer window as they are expected to face competition from their Premier League rivals. So it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga takes shape in the coming months.
