“Captain Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham) and “Bundes top defender” Jonatang Ta (28, Bayer Leverkusen) are expected to reunite for the first time in 10 years. As Tottenham refuses to renew the contract, it is reported that they are internally discussing to recruit Ta, who is considered to be a free agent (FA) next summer.
비아그라 media Give Me Sports reported on the 18th (Korea time) that “Tottenham has set a considerable budget to strengthen its defensive line and is currently considering several options,” adding, “One of the prominent names on the recruitment list is Ta.” “Ta, who is considered one of the best defenders in the German Bundesliga, is already attracting attention from big clubs,” he added.
Ta, who has been playing as the mainstay of Bayer Leverkusen since 2015, is one of the center backs representing the Bundesliga. With his height of 1 meter and 95 centimeters, he is good at dominating the provisional control and boasts excellent covering of the back space as his feet are fast enough to record the maximum speed of 35.81 kilometers per hour. When it comes to defense, it boasts natural soccer intelligence and seasoned play. On top of this, he has build-up capabilities at the back like a modern defender and can take on various tactical roles.
In particular, Ta demonstrated his skills by displaying “crazy performances” last season. As a vice-captain and a key player of Bayer Leverkusen, he stably led the defense line for 48 games (45 starts) in all competitions. By maintaining strong defense line centering on Ta, he succeeded in double (two gold medals). Notably, he achieved “unbeaten” in the Bundesliga, marking a new history. Ta was named the Bundesliga’s team of the year last season.
However, Ta will end his 10-year companionship with Bayer Leverkusen at the end of this season. As his contract expires in June next year, Ta refused to renew his contract because there is a high possibility that he will miss the opportunity to move to a big club if not this time. Big clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich are sending him love calls. With Tottenham joining the team, fierce recruitment battle is expected to unfold.
Give Me Sports said, “Ta is gaining a lot of popularity as he plans to become an FA at the end of this season. He is already drawing attention from Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich,” adding, “Tottenham is also showing interest in others, and the interest is serious. Considering the fierce competition for recruitment, if Tottenham can embrace others, it will be an ambitious recruitment.”
In particular, the prelude to the recruitment war is expected to begin in earnest from January next year. This is because the Boseman Rule (a system in which the status of preliminary FA can freely negotiate six months before the expiration of the contract) will be applied from January. Clubs that want to win under the Boseman Rule are expected to stage fierce competition as they can reach verbal agreement while persuading others in earnest from January.
Meanwhile, Son and Ta once shared a team-up with Bayer Leverkusen for a very short time. When Ta joined Bayer Leverkusen on July 15, 2015, they became teammates, and the two played together in two official matches. However, Son Heung-min moved to Tottenham Hotspur on August 28, shortly afterwards. Ta coincidentally also hails from Hamburg, the same hometown as Son.