JONATHAN TAH-LEICESTER'S CENTRE BACK TARGET ANALYSED (A THREAD)

Within the past few days, Leicester appear to have been monitoring the 6ft 4 centre back Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen. With reports of Wesley Fofana appearing to dry up, could Tah be the man who Leicester need.

Tah appears to have fallen out of favour at Leverkusen, with new siding Edmond Tapsoba joining the defence next to Sven Bender. Though Tah has lost his place in recent times, he still made 22 appearances for the German club in the Bundesliga last season, playing 2090 minutes.

Tah received a average rating of 6.90, higher than that of Tapsoba, who received an average of 6.62, whilst also playing 10 less games than Tah. The German has a huge amount of experience playing in European competitions, which is clearly need for Leicester, who have UEL football

His added height is also a positive for Leicester, and with Jonny Evans’ contract running out, the pairing of both Tah and Soyuncu could prove very good, both being just 24 years old.

His intelligence in defending is very prominent, making 5.05 interceptions per 90 minutes last season, taking up good positions to steal the ball or reduce space for the opponents to work with. His frame also allows good ball winning attributes, winning 4.07 aerial duels...

per 90. He utilises his size and strength very well, leading to winning 67.91% of all of his duels. He has the requirements to be a fantastic modern centre half, which can be showcased by his passing ability. 12.9 progressive passes a game shows how Tah can pick out a pass.

with an accuracy of 91.37%, he rarely miss places one, and the thought of Tah laying the ball into one of either Castagne or Ricardo whilst making one of their trademark attacking runs should excite all Leicester fans, with Tah able to play a ball even under pressure.

With Leverkusen playing from the back often and enjoying possession based football, it is clear to see why the club will be looking to bring Tah in, who could easily replace one of Soyuncu or Evans if needed, whether in Europe or in the league.

Tah has an impact score of 108 (courtesy of @lgopfelix), compared to Soyuncu's 98 and Evans’ 120. It has to be taken into account the experience of all the players however, with Evans clearly playing far more football at a higher level than the other pair.

However, with Soyuncu and Tah both being 24, Tah appears the more experienced player, and with Soyuncu showing how well he plays along side someone with experience, it appears a great move for the club, perhaps better than Fofana in this aspect.

So after Alexsandar Dragovic in 2018 appearing to be one that got away from Leicester, should the club go back to Leverkusen and attempt to sign another centre back from them? I think so.