Coaches at Tottenham Hotspur believe Japhet Tanganga has the skills to be a ‘phenomenal’ right-back after impressing staff in defensive one-on-one duels, according to The Athletic.
Tanganga spent much of his time in the Spurs academy developing as a centre-half, but has excelled as a full-back for the first-team. It was on the edge of the Tottenham backline that Jose Mourinho gifted the 22-year-old his Premier League debut against Liverpool in 2020.
The Hackney-born defender instantly impressed, using his pace and impressive work-rate to thwart forwards in their forays down the wings. Some at Tottenham even view Tanganga as the club’s most effective defender in one-on-one duels.
Tanganga’s athletic nature allows the England U21 international to push forward and join Tottenham’s attacks. His final ball can be improved, but the youngster has shown glimpses of his creativity. Including setting up Heung-Min Son against Arsenal in pre-season.
One Tottenham coach has also told The Athletic that Tanganga has the skillset to develop into a ‘phenomenal’ right-back. With his final-third output the most pressing area that the homegrown talent needs to fine tune for the position.
If Tanganga can polish his crossing and general final-third passing, staff at Tottenham believe he could become one of the best right-backs in the Premier League. He is also impressing new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo since the Portuguese took charge in June.
Should Tanganga continue to feature and impress at full-back between now and the end of the window, Tottenham may elect against signing a player for the position. Spurs currently do not have any deals in place, but would like to make one if they offload Serge Aurier.
Tanganga: Tottenham’s right-back solution already under their nose?
Tanganga could prove to be Tottenham’s ideal right-back solution, and one right under their nose if he maintains his performances. The academy product has enjoyed a strong start to life under Nuno in the position, so has a great chance.
Arsenal marked his first appearance of the Portuguese’s tenure at full-back and defended resolutely throughout. He battled hard with Nicolas Pepe all game and while his offensive output could have been better, still assisted Son.
Tanganga clearly left such a positive impression on Nuno that he retained the role for Tottenham’s season-opener against Manchester City. And, again, the £23,000-per-week prospect offered a powerful presence to win the ball at all costs.
Supporters also applauded Tanganga off the pitch for his efforts to shut down Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling. The defender – who Fanatik reported agreed to join Galatasaray on loan this summer – also earned Danny Murphy’s praise. He told Match of the Day 2:
“The will and desire to dominate your opponent, and give yourself that platform in the game to show who you are and what you are was crucial to Tottenham’s win. Tanganga, I mean, he epitomised everything that was good about Tottenham.”
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