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Manchester City Should Target Jonathan Tah

By Dan Larsen

UDINE, ITALY - JUNE 30: Jonathan Tah of Germany in action during the 2019 UEFA U-21 Final between Spain and Germany at Stadio Friuli on June 30, 2019 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
UDINE, ITALY - JUNE 30: Jonathan Tah of Germany in action during the 2019 UEFA U-21 Final between Spain and Germany at Stadio Friuli on June 30, 2019 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Tah has the physical profile of a Premier League center back.

ROME, ITALY – AUGUST 18: Miroslav Klose of SS Lazio and Jonathan Tah of Bayer Leverkusen in action during the UEFA Champions League qualifying round play off first leg match between SS Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen at Olimpico Stadium on August 18, 2015 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)
ROME, ITALY – AUGUST 18: Miroslav Klose of SS Lazio and Jonathan Tah of Bayer Leverkusen in action during the UEFA Champions League qualifying round play off first leg match between SS Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen at Olimpico Stadium on August 18, 2015 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images) /

The first reason why Jonathan Tah would be an excellent fit in Manchester City’s team is that he has the perfect physical profile to match what the club has lost with the departure of Vincent Kompany.

Tah is an absolute force. He’s a giant, standing at six foot four. His height, when mixed with his excellent leaping ability, gives him a distinct advantage in aerial duels, both in the defensive third and on set-pieces.

Tah won 2.3 aerial duels per game this past season in the Bundesliga. He’s consistently posted numbers in that range in every league season he’s played too, peaking at an incredible 3.6 aerial duels won per game in 29 league games in 2015-16. For comparison sake, Vincent Kompany won an average of 2.2 aerial duels per game in 13 Premier League appearances this past season.

In addition to the aerial threat he poses, Tah also possesses elite strength and speed for a player his size. He’s able to get the best of any player in most competitions for the ball, and his recovery speed gives him the ability to cover a lot of ground if required to. His strength advantage also plays well when he’s pressed on the ball.

He has had some issues with muscle injuries, like many player his size. However, he’s largely avoided the long lay-offs that often come with those, and if any team knows how to manage a player like that, it’s Manchester City.

There are very few center backs in the world that are as athletically and physically gifted as Tah is. At age 23, there’s no reason to think he can’t maintain that advantage, and potentially build on it, for years to come.