It might not be next season, but sometime in the not too distant future, the day will come when our Swiss heartthrob will need to step back from first team starter and focus on the next chapter in his career (surely the obvious choice for the next James Bond right). 🍸
This long-read will look at some names we have been linked with and see how they compare to our Swiss maestro, and suggest who may be best placed to fill those big boots.
So who are the contenders?
We’ll look at three players in this piece, players we have been linked to this transfer window, and see how they stack up… or should they be stat up (ok, I promise, no more bad jokes).
Edmond Tapsoba (26) of Bayer Leverkusen, Malick Thiaw (23) of Milan and Leonardo Balerdi (26) of Marseille.
🛡️ Defensive Duties
Schar makes 1.1 tackles per 90, with 55% of these in the mid or final third. This shows that he is proactive, stepping out of defence to win the ball back and start attacks. This fits with Howe’s high press and all action style.
Tapsoba is similar, he makes more tackles with 1.4 per 90, and has 51% of these in the mid or final third, showing he plays the position similar to Schar.
Contrast this to Thiaw and Balerdi who make 1.19 and 2.13 tackles per 90 respectively, but with only 38% and 41% of these in the mid and final third.
Now a lot of this can be down to how teams play and how the manager instructs a side to play, but what it shows us is that Tapsoba is regularly doing for Leverkusen what Schar is for us. A big tick for the Burkino Faso international.
Schar makes 1.4 interceptions per 90, with only Balerdi being similar with 1.5, the other two sit around the 0.8 per 90 level, which is significantly lower.
And the final defensive area we’ll look at is aerial duels. Schar is relatively low for a centre back, with a success rate of 44%. Compare that to the others, who all sit at the 65% mark and you can say that any would be an improvement.
⚽️ In Possession
All three players exceed Schar in number of passes per 90 and in pass accuracy. Schar attempts 60 passes per 90, with an accuracy of 84%. Tapsoba makes 70 at 86%, Thiaw 63 at 93% and Balerdi 99 and 94%.
But simple passing stats don’t tell us the full picture. Think Swansea under Brendan Rogers, high possession and passing accuracy but very little penetration. We want players who can move the ball forward quickly, not pass it between themselves whilst we all fall asleep.
Schar makes 3.6 progressive passes per 90 (a pass that advances the ball a set amount towards the opponents goal). Compare this to Thiaw and Balerdi who make 4.4 and 4.2 respectively, and then Tapsoba who makes a whopping 5.9 per 90.
This is reflect in the stats showing passes into the final third. Schar makes 4.9 per 90 which is simply to the 4.3 for Thiaw, exceeded by Balerdi with 5.9 but once again beaten by Tapsoba who makes 7.0 passes into the final third.
Where Schar beats all three is passes into the penalty box, making 0.4 per game. None of the others come close with the exception of Tapsoba, who makes 0.32.
Another aspect of passing to look at is progressive passes received. That is how many times does player receive a progressive pass, indicating they are getting forward as part of the attack. Schar excels here, receiving 0.67 progressive passes per 90. Again Tapsoba is similar with 0.61 received, compared to the low 0.05 for Thiaw and 0.2 for Balerdi.
Now all of this is helpful and shows that Tabsoba is more similar to Schar, but what I doesn’t reflect is that telepathic connection Schar seems to have with our forward line, where he finds them perfectly with a long diagonal across the pitch. Whoever comes in would surely take time to settle and build that relationship.
🧐 Tapsoba the Stand-Out
Of all players linked with to cover the right centre back position, Tabsoba stands out. He is most similar to Schar in how he plays and has shown, through his time at Leverkusen under Alonso, he can work well with a modern, tactically flexible manager. He’d offer real quality, and at 26, is coming into the prime of his career.
I haven’t even mentioned his pace and ability to carry the ball forward, which would really add a missing piece to our back line.
Reports are circulating that he’s available for £40-£50m, and whilst a steep price, he’d be an excellent addition to the squad.
