Tottenham Hotspur sign Kevin Danso on loan: Decoding his stats
What's the story
Tottenham Hotspur have pulled off a major coup by signing defender Kevin Danso from Ligue 1 side Lens.
The 26-year-old has joined the Spurs on loan until the end of this season, with an obligation for a permanent move in the summer.
The surprise move comes after Wolverhampton Wanderers were in advanced discussions to sign Danso throughout January's transfer window.
Here's more.
Transfer twist
Danso chooses Spurs over Wolves in last-minute decision
Wolves had scheduled a medical for Danso on Sunday morning. However, after their 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, they were informed that Danso had opted to join Tottenham Hotspur.
The decision came after late-stage negotiations between the player and the Spurs.
The north London club has been on the lookout for a new defender this transfer window owing to injuries in their squad.
Recruitment challenges
Tottenham's search for new talent amid injury woes
Tottenham's recruitment has been fueled by the need to fill gaps left by injured players.
Radu Dragusin was injured during their Europa League victory over Elfsborg, while Cristian Romero is also sidelined due to injury.
Micky van de Ven has only just returned from his recovery period.
These circumstances have intensified the club's search for new talent in this transfer window.
Transfer setbacks
Tottenham's unsuccessful bids before securing Danso
Before landing Danso, Tottenham had held advanced talks with AC Milan over a move for Fikayo Tomori. However, the England international opted to stay at the Serie A club.
The setback came after another failed attempt by the Spurs to sign Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel despite agreeing a £50m fee for the player.
Stats
Danso's career stats
Danso started his career with Bundesliga side FC Augsburg. He made 44 appearances, scoring thrice. He was loaned to Southampton in 2019-20 and was limited to 10 appearances.
In 2020-21, he was loaned to Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Düsseldorf. He scored twice in 33 matches.
Danso joined Lens in 2021. Since then, he made 126 appearances, scoring 4 times across three and a half seasons.
Ligue 1
Breaking down his Ligue 1 stats in 2023-24 season
Danso made a total of 112 Ligue 1 appearances. In the previous season, he made 30 appearances, scoring once.
As per Squawka Comparison Matrix (data by Opta), Danso clocked 19 shots (excluding blocks) with five of his shots on target. He also created 8 chances.
He also made 24 tackles and completed 11 take-ons. He won 57 aerial duels and 81 ground duels.
He made 115 clearances, 23 interceptions and kept 12 clean sheets.