Premier League duo Spurs and Leicester reportedly want Cologne’s Bundesliga starlet Ismail Jakobs – Bens Chilwell and Davies should be concerned.
It is no coincidence that Cologne have gone from relegation favourites to the dizzying heights of mid-table mediocrity since Ismail Jakobs exploded onto the scene.
The Bundesliga’s very own ‘yo-yo club’ had won just two of their first ten games since returning to the top flight this season. But, almost immediately after a little-known youngster made his top flight debut in November, their prospects have changed in the blink of an eye.
Cologne are now on a run of six wins in eight games and Jakobs has played almost every minute of that remarkable, and completely unexpected, transformation.
And his electrifying performance in Sunday’s stunning 5-0 away win at Hertha Berlin, Europe’s biggest spending side during the January transfer window, highlighted why both Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City have been keeping an eye on a left-sider who puts the attacking in ‘attacking full-back’ (The Mail).
Jakobs was in irrepressible form in the German capital, setting up Cologne’s second of the game with a pinpoint cross while causing no end of problems for the Hertha defence with his refreshingly direct style.
The 20-year-old has been likened to Achraf Hakimi, Borussia Dortmund’s jet-heeled wideman, and this sort of performance shows why.
Meanwhile, at Leicester and Tottenham, two left-backs named Ben have endured a week to forget. It was Davies who gifted RB Leipzig their winner in Spurs’ Champions League defeat on Wednesday while, three days later, Chilwell was ripped to shreds by the perennial pantomime villain Riyad Mahrez during Leicester’s 1-0 home loss to Manchester City.
For Davies and Chilwell, Jakobs’ latest eye-catching display could hardly have come at a worse time. Especially given that both Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers have experimented with a new-look wing-back system in recent weeks – with rather mixed results.
Jakobs, however, would make such a shift in formation possible. A ‘defender’ by trade, the Cologne-born starlet has made the majority of his appearances in a more advanced role in recent weeks with head coach Markus Gisdol aiming to utilise his explosive acceleration and his wand of a left foot to it’s full potential.
He is the sort of all-action talent who can dominate the flank all on his own with pace and power, providing cover for the centre-backs while offering a reliable outlet in the final third too.
In an era where adaptability is key, Jakobs’ could give Tottenham and Leicester something a little different.
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