For much of the last month or so, it looked as if Tottenham Hotspur would remain relatively inactive in the transfer window.
After all, aside from the young Antonín Kinský, who arrived for £12.5m from Slavia Prague on the 5th, the North Londoners failed to make any more additions to their injury-riddled squad in January.
However, in the closing days of the window, Daniel Levey and Co got to work, and while they saw a surprise £70m offer for Marc Guehi rejected, they were able to sign two exciting players.
Fee
Fee
Antonin Kinsky (Slavia Prague)
£12.5m
Matthew Craig (Mansfield)
Loan
Yang Min-hyeok (Gangwon)
£3.3m
Will Lankshear (West Brom)
Loan
Kevin Danso (Lens)
Loan
Yang Min-hyeok (QPR)
Loan
Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)
Loan
The real headliner of the pair is undoubtedly Mathys Tel, who has joined on a short-term loan with a £45m option to buy, but perhaps the most necessary addition is Kevin Danso, who also joined on a short-term loan but with an obligation to buy at £20.9m.
However, while the talented centre-back is undoubtedly a brilliant signing, he’ll have to hit the ground running to see his valuation get close to that of one of his new teammates.
Why Spurs signed Danso
So, it would probably be fair to say that before the deal was announced, there were not too many Spurs fans calling for the club to sign Danso specifically, but just because he wasn’t a particularly known quantity prior to his move doesn’t mean he’s a lacklustre player.
In fact, it looks like Levy and Co have got their hands on quite a talented centre-back with plenty of experience but still plenty of room to grow as well.
For example, across his senior career to date, the Voitsberg-born star has made 128 appearances for RC Lens – who played in the Champions League last season and came second in Ligue 1 the year before that – 44 for FC Augsburg, 33 for Fortuna Dusselsdorf and ten for Southampton.
RC Lens
128
Augsburg
44
Düsseldorf
33
Austria
24
Southampton
10
On top of that, he has also won 24 senior caps for Austria, and as he is still just 26 years old, he shouldn’t be hitting his peak until next season, per research carried out by The Athletic in 2021.
Moreover, as well as being able to bring some more experience to the Lilywhites’ injury-ravaged backline, the right-footed titan will also add some physicality, as he stands at an impressive 6 foot 3, and according to respected football analyst Ben Mattinson, is blessed with “rapid recovery pace.”
In all, Danso looks like he’ll be a brilliant addition to Postecoglou’s squad, but even so, his current valuation is way less than one of his defensive teammates.
The Spurs star worth millions more than Danso
So, to get straight to the point, the defender we are talking about is none other than Cristian Romero.
The “unbelievable” centre-back, as dubbed by teammate Micky van de Ven, joined the club on a loan-to-buy deal in the summer of 2021 under then-manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
However, it was under the Italian icon Antonio Conte that the permanent move was completed for £42.5m, which was money very well spent as, per Football Transfers, the Argentine icon is now worth up to €80.7m, which is about £67.6m, or a whopping £46.7m more than the club paid for Danso.
However, while that is an enormous valuation, it would be hard to argue that the club’s co-vice captain doesn’t deserve it, as when he’s fit to play, he is immense.
For example, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and the Europa League, the 26-year-old sits in the top 3% of centre-backs for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, the top 6% for total shots and passes attempted, the top 10% for non-penalty goals, the top 11% for tackles and aerial duels won and more, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
0.12
Top 3%
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.15
Top 3%
Total Shots
0.93
Top 6%
Passes Attempted
83.03
Top 6%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.11
Top 10%
Touches in Opponent’s Box
1.38
Top 10%
Tackles
2.13
Top 11%
Aerial Duels Won
3.17
Top 11%
Progressive Passes
4.96
Top 14%
Pass Completion
91.0%
Top 15%
Shot-Creating Actions
1.19
Top 18%
On top of that, the former Juventus ace is a proven winner, playing a major role in Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022 and their two most recent Copa América titles.
Ultimately, Spurs have an exciting new defender in Danso, but he’ll have to set the world alight to see his valuation get close to Romero’s.
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