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8 Defensive Actions/Game -Should Tottenham Allow This Highly Rated Defender To Return To Bundesliga?

Reports have emerged suggesting that FC Koln are hoping to re-sign their former player and current Tottenham Hotspur defender Kevin Wimmer in the winter transfer window.

The Austrian international joined the North London outfit last summer. Wimmer enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with Tottenham but he has slipped down the pecking order this term and his former employers are looking to capitalize on the situation and take him back to Germany, perhaps on a loan deal.

kevin-wimmer

The German team, who are currently seventh in the Bundesliga standings, are in need of a new defender following Mergim Mavraj’s imminent move to Hamburg in January and Wimmer is their prime target to replace Mavraj.

The Austrian had a great start in his first season with Spurs as he stepped up in Jan Vertonghen’s absence due to injury in the second-half of the season. He made a total of 10 appearances in the Premier League and was solid as a rock, making an average of 8 defensive actions per game. The Lilywhites won seven games and lost only one match in which he played, conceding only 7 goals. Wimmer’s performances impressed the management at Spurs so much that he was handed a new contract.

However, things have gone hardly well for the 24-year old, with the emergence of Cameron Carter-Vickers as an added competition to the primary centre-back choice of Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Wimmer has been struggling for regular football this term, with manager Mauricio Pochettino relying on Eric Dier to fill in during Alderweireld’s injury-hit period.

Wimmer has only made two appearances in the Premier League this term, both coming in London derbies against Arsenal and Chelsea. The Austrian did not have great outings in either game, scoring an own goal against the Gunners while he struggled to keep the Chelsea attackers quiet in his second game. However, those poor performances could have been due to playing in an unfamiliar system of the three-man defence which Pochettino had utilized, but soon discarded post the Chelsea game. He also made a sole appearance in the Champions League against Monaco which Spurs lost 2-1 at the Stade Louis II.

Wimmer is a strong lad with top notch ball playing abilities. Comfortable in possession, excellent in distribution, he is suited perfectly for the way Pochettino’s team plays. And despite his lack of minutes this term, he has shown that he can be an able deputy to Vertonghen and Alderweireld in their absence. At 24, he still has a long way to go and will only go up from here. And with Eric Dier’s importance higher up the pitch in the midfield, and Spurs’ continued involvement in three competitions, holding onto the Austrian defender becomes much more imperative for Pochettino and Tottenham.