Tottenham’s defense has been excellent this season. They have conceded the least number of goals so far – 6 – a remarkable achievement after 11 games. The reason for this kind of defensive solidarity has been the partnership of Belgians Toby Alderweireld and Jan Verthongen, who have firmly established themselves as one of the best center back pairings in the Premier League.
Ever since Toby Alderweireld was signed from Atletico Madrid, the Spurs defense has been sound as ever and Pochettino will be delighted with the contributions of both the players. But one player who will be feeling left out is Kevin Wimmer. The 24-year-old Austrian was signed in the summer of 2015, from FC Koln in the Bundesliga, where he had three seasons as a defender.
In his debut campaign, he was asked to step in for Jan Verthongen on numerous occasions and the Austrian did quite well when he was asked to play. He played exceedingly well both in the Premier League and in the group stages of the Europa League. Such form made him a valuable player to have in the Spurs ranks and the future looked bright for him.
But fast forward to this season and the story hasn’t quite been the same. The partnership of the Belgians at the center of defense has taken prime notice and Wimmer hasn’t gotten a look in until recently. He spent nearly 6-7 months on the bench waiting for a chance and when it did come against Arsenal in the North London Derby, Wimmer was at fault. He scored an own goal from Mesut Ozil’s free kick to give his opponents the lead. Wimmer would’ve been thankful to Harry Kane, who scored a goal from the penalty spot that day and saved the defender’s blushes.
Such a performance has seen him go down the pecking order and even youngster Cameron Carter-Vickers could find himself ahead of Wimmer soon. There have also been some talks of a return to the Bundesliga for Kevin Wimmer. Borrusia Monchengladbach are a club that are in need of defensive enforcements, due to the uncertainty of Chelsea loanee Andreas Christensen, whose loan deal might not turn into a permanent one as the Blues have retained an interest in their player and could look to bring him back to Stamford Bridge. Such reports have seen Wimmer linked with a move to Gladbach, where he could play alongside Christensen or replace the Dane in the line-up.
Wimmer’s career hasn’t gone as planned and his short time at Spurs could be coming to an end soon. While Gladbach are in the pipeline with a permanent move for the Austrian, Spurs would rather loan him out and then see what happens. An injury to one of their star centre back pairing could see them in trouble and they will be looking to avoid any such situation.
All in all, a return to the Bundesliga might just be what Wimmer needs to get his career back on track. Similar surroundings could help him get back to his best. His development has been stunted whilst he is sat on the bench at Spurs. He is at a time in his career where he needs to be playing week-in, week out and Borrusia Monchengladbach could be the perfect club to re-make a name for himself.