Bayer Leverkusen ace Edmond Tapsoba admits he is ‘happy’ with reports suggesting that he is a transfer target for Premier League Arsenal, speaking to BuliNews.
With ball-playing central defenders all the rage these days, it seems only a matter of time before the bids start rolling in for 24-year-old Tapsoba. The Burkina Faso international, like many at the Bay Arena, has endured a difficult season. But class, as they say, is permanent.
And Tapsoba possesses almost every single attribute you could possibly want from a centre-half; he’s young, technically-gifted, a superb passer, and a physical marvel at 6ft 4ins. Did we mention he takes a mean penalty kick too?
The former Vitoria Guimaraes colossus is not yet the finished article, however. Taposba himself admits that improvements must be made regarding his ‘focus’. But it would be a surprise if Tapsoba was not a regular at Champions League level at some point in the near future.
Could Edmond Tapsoba be on his way to the Premier League?
“That makes me happy, of course,” he says when quizzed about those links with Arsenal, Manchester Unitd and Chelsea. “It’s something that shows I’m doing a good job, and that I just need to continue.
“But Leverkusen is a big club. My head and heart are fully here right now. And, then, we’ll see what the next step will be. Right now, my favourite club is Leverkusen.”
Fabrizio Romano reported back in 2021 that Arsenal saw Tapsoba as a ‘perfect’ addition to their backline. The ‘big problem’, however, was a price-tag in excess of £60 million. Tapsoba’s development might have plateaued a little since then, but he still has another three years left on his Leverkusen contract and, therefore, will not be going anywhere on the cheap.
“I can imagine that there are many stories about him in England,” Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes admits. “We want to keep him as he’s a fantastic player.
“He has one incredible quality that is his build-up play. He’s perfect for our playing style. He has a long contract, so there is no need for us to speak about him (leaving).”
Tapsoba caught the eye when playing against Arsenal for Vitoria Guimaraes in the 2019/20 Europa League group-stages, starting during a thrilling 3-2 defeat at the Emirates.
“My friends used to call me Mertesacker,” Tapsoba adds, highlighting those comparisons with the one-time Arsenal and Germany defender.
“When I started playing in the academy, I started to like John Stones. Right now, I’d say my role models are (Virgil) van Dijk and (Kalidou) Koulibaly.”
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