How Kevin Danso fits at Spurs | OneFootball

On Sunday morning, before Spurs won 2-0 away to Brentford in the Premier League, the club confirmed the signing of RC Lens and Austria defender Kevin Danso - initially on loan for the rest of the season, before an obligation to buy the player in the summer transfer window. The player will wear the number four shirt.

So, what can we expect from Danso, and what qualities can he bring to help improve Ange Postecoglu's side?

What to expect from new central defender Kevin Danso

In terms of play style, Danso is a very quick and aggressive defender, very capable, and in fact suited, to playing in a high line. He is a proactice defender, whom likes to engage in duels and help to win the ball back. He has been an important part of Austria's red bull style of football under manager Ralf Rangnick.

Having this type of player on the pitch will help Spurs sustain attacks by having a more secure "rest defence". Having that recovery pace when they lose the ball will be crucial. Take someone like Radu Dragusin. He was good for Genoa, he is good for the Romania national team. However, his lack of mobility makes him a bad fit for the current Spurs team. A player like Danso is much more suited to the style of play.

There are things to caveat, such as the league, styles of play, etc - but comparing Danso's stats to Dragusin's this season makes for interesting. So far, he has made 1.7 interceptions a game to Dragusin's 0.9, 1.6 tackles to 0.6, makes five clearances to 2.9, and wins 3.4 aerials duels per game to 2.1 - with a higher sample size to.

This is not to attack the Romanian defender, nothing personal - just showing how much more suited to an Ange team Danso is. In a team that camps in their own box, defends crosses all game, and has to manage their penalty area better, maybe Dragusin is better at that sort of nuts and bolts defending. In a side like Spurs, there is no doubt that Danso is a much better fit.

If Cristian Romero is not back for the game against Liverpool on Thursday night, it would be great to see everything cleared in time for Danso to play, and partner Micky van de Ven. That sort of recovery pace will be huge to the chances of winning the game.

So, to summarise - Danso is the perfect Ange Postecoglu defender, who will have no issues playing on the half way line, and help Spurs play the sort of football they did early on in the Ange era.