Could Tottenham really ditch Kevin Wimmer to sign Eliaquim Mangala?
Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi look dejected at the end of the game
Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a shock move for Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala.
The City defender was highly rated before his move to the Etihad, but his reputation has taken a battering as he has failed to live up to big expectations brought by a lofty price tag.
To compound matters, ESPN report Spurs will look to sell popular defender Kevin Wimmer if they can land Mangala.
Tottenham’s Kevin Wimmer reacts
The whole scenario looks bemusing, with on one hand Mangala being an over priced and unpopular defender, while Wimmer is a Spurs fan favourite signed just a year ago at a bargain fee.
His form last season alongside Toby Alderweireld left some feeling he should not have been dropped at all, and that he instead of Jan Vertonghen should be in the first choice XI.
Crystal Palace’s Emmanuel Adebayor in action with Tottenham’s Kevin Wimmer
The report has left fans frustrated – here is a look at some of the comments via Twitter in response to the report…
Mangala himself as the last comment suggests could be a good reclamation project for Spurs, a defender with great potential who just needs a change of scene.
But at the expense of Wimmer it is an unpopular move, with the Austrian doing everything right in terms of performance and attitude.
| Team | Passing Accuracy | Tackles Won per game | Interceptions per game | Ball Recoveries per game | Aerial Duels won per game | Shots Blocked per game | Effective Clearances per game | Error Lead To Shot per game | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eliaquim Mangala | Man City | 87% | 1.17 | 2.87 | 5.3 | 1.78 | 0.3 | 3.96 | 0.09 | 23 |
| Kevin Wimmer | Tottenham | 89% | 0.3 | 2 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 0.1 | 10 |
The figures between the two defenders are pretty even from last season, with Mangala standing out in key areas, tackles won and aerial duels won.
Some of this can be put down to his more consistent game time, with a smaller sample size for Wimmer.
You could make an argument from the figures as to why Spurs could consider Mangala an upgrade, but with Wimmer showing himself to be pretty much the perfect third-choice centre-back, there really is no need to move him on at all, and waste time, effort and money on up-heaving the squad to bring Mangala in.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Eliaquim Mangala and Fernandinho during training
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