Until very recently, Mohamed Simakan had never before played as a right-back in the colours of RB Leipzig.
But if there were any fears that it could take the Frenchman time to adapt to his new role at the Bundesliga giants, they were emphatically dispelled in a series of swashbuckling performances against Borussia Dortmund, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic.
Simakan either scored a goal or provided an assist in each of those three games in September and early-October. During the 3-1 victory over Ange Postecoglou’s Scottish champions in Germany, the former Strasbourg starlet hardly looked like a man playing out of position. In fact, if you didn’t know his backstory, you’d have been forgiven for assuming Simakan had spent his entire career flying down the right-hand flank before thumping crosses into the penalty area.
He was, in short, a natural in a new role.
Former Strasbourg coach Francois Keller once likened his young ‘phenomenon‘ to Raphael Varane. Lillian Thuram, however, feels like a more fitting comparison; Simakan’s awe-striking athleticism and his ease at adapting to both central and full-back roles reminiscent of France’s most-capped player.
Tottenham Hotspur like RB Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakan
The one-time Aston Villa target, who joined Leipzig for £15 million, opted to stay at the Red Bull Arena last summer despite interest from none other than Paris Saint-Germain.
“(PSG sporting advisor) Luis Campos spoke with my agents, that’s true,” he tells L’Equipe. “They were interested.”
Tottenham Hotspur, then, may be wasting their time weighing up a move for that very same player. They have reportedly discussed the prospect of signing Simakan internally (The Times). If Simakan wasn’t tempted by PSG, would he really consider joining Spurs? A side seemingly stuck in a never-ending, rinse-and-repeat cycle of promise and mediocrity?
Simakan, could in many ways, be everything Tottenham hoped Japhet Tanganga would become in North London. A defender capable of thriving in a variety of roles; a more secure centre-half than Davinson Sanchez, and a better ball-carrier than Emerson Royal.
What Simakan has over Tanganga, meanwhile, is a proven track record on the biggest of stages. He’s is also a year younger than a man who, despite featuring semi-regularly under Conte last term, has played just 17 minutes of football in 2022/23. Tanganga is likely to be made available for transfer, if not in January, then next summer.
But, alongside his impressive versatility, his pace, power and superb tactical awareness, Simakan possesses another key attribute. One that could see Tottenham suffer the same fate as PSG; Loyalty.
“Stability is important to me,” he adds. “We made a joint decision with the Leipzig board to stay. I’m happy because I think Leipzig is the place where I think I’m best at the moment.”
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