da fazobetai： West Brom have turned their attentions to Spurs defender Japhet Tanganga, according to emerging reports…
What’s the word?
da bet7： The Athletic’s Steve Madeley and Charlie Eccleshare claim the 21-year-old is a target for Sam Allardyce ahead of tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline.
It’s claimed that the Baggies want to make the most of their final domestic loan spot as they battle for survival in the Premier League, and after being dealt a blow in their pursuit of ‘top choice’ Ainsley Maitland-Niles, they are eyeing the Spurs youngster.
Though, they face competition from Italy and Scotland, of which SPFL giants Celtic are said to be keen.
Defensive boost
It’s no secret that Albion need defensive reinforcements and whilst the defensive midfield addition of Okay Yokuslu from Celta Vigo is one step in the right direction, it simply isn’t enough.
Indeed, the Midlands outfit have leaked a whopping 50 goals from their 21 league outings, 14 more goals than any other top-flight team at this stage. In the five home games under Allardyce alone, West Brom have shipped 19 goals.
The 66-year-old has an almighty task to turn things around as they sit nine points adrift of safety, so fixing that abysmal backline is a good decision ahead of the deadline this evening.
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At 6-foot, Tangana offers some much-needed versatility as he’s able to play centrally as well as on the right, the latter of which is probably where he would play as Spurs boss Jose Mourinho sees him as a future full-back.
“Tanganga for me, is a full-back. A multi-functional defensive player but firstly a full-back” said the Special One earlier this campaign, via football.london.
The Hotspur academy graduate is relatively inexperienced having only featured 18 times at a senior level, but he has shown glimpses of his potential as seen by his contribution towards clean sheets against Man City and Watford last term.
He’s even caught the eye of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who was hugely impressed by Tanganga in his debut against them. Spurs fell to a 1-0 defeat that day, but the 21-year-old excelled at right-back when coming up against the enigmatic Sadio Mane.
Indeed, Tanganga graded as Spurs’ best player with a 7.4 SofaScore rating. He made eight clearances, two tackles and won five duels. After the game Klopp waxed lyrical, he told reporters:
“I didn’t know about him and it was a surprise. Our matchday analyst told me about him. He played well. It was nice when the crowd cheered his name. It was his first Premier League game? Very impressive.”
Whilst Darren Bent lauded him as a “very exciting prospect” to Football Insider, so there is certainly a gem to be unearthed here.
Given he’s only on a reported £25k-per-week in north London, the £7.2m-rated titan could be a decent bargain for that final domestic loan spot. You’d imagine Spurs would love him to get regular game time at this level too.
West Brom chief Luke Dowling must secure this move before 11pm tonight.
AND in other news, Exclusive: West Brom backed to seal PL striker before deadline…