The ideal Tuta replacement
Tuta is set to leave Eintracht Frankfurt for around €15m after reaching an agreement with Qatari club Al Duhail SC. Eintracht will lose one of their most experienced players, who played in Frankfurt for six and a half years.
With his departure, fans are debating whether the club should bring in another center back, given that the squad still has four options in Robin Koch, Arthur Theate, Aurèle Amenda, and Nnamdi Collins.
But with Champions League football coming up next season, more squad depth is required. Especially if Toppmöller opts for a back three system, he definitely needs more than four center backs in the team. After some scouting, I’ve identified a player that Markus Krösche must take a look at. First of all, here are the criteria I used to find the optimal Tuta replacement.
Affordable (should cost less than €15m)
Versatile (should play center back and at least one other position)
Young (should be aged 23 or under)
Potential (should be a player we could sell on for big money in the future)
Technical (should be able to replace Tuta‘s technical skills)
I looked for a younger option because I believe we already signed enough Bundesliga experience in Jonny Burkardt and Ritsu Doan. Additionally, I was looking for a backup, not a starter, as we already have Koch and Theate – an established player from a big team might not be ready to accept a backup role.
Originally, my plan was to create a shortlist of three players. However, I quickly realized that I had found one player, who fit my profile far better than everyone else. He’s a 21-year-old Man City academy graduate who has already spent four seasons in professional football, being loaned out to several Championship sides. A left-footed defender, he’s able to play as a center back or left back. This season, the player is ready to take the next step and leave Manchester City on a permanent deal – The Citizens only want around €11.5m.
If you didn’t guess it already: his name is Callum Doyle.
The name might sound familiar, as he was already linked to Eintracht Frankfurt two years ago. Since then Doyle has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Championship, playing for Leicester (under Enzo Maresca) and Norwich.
Player analysis
Callum Doyle ticks all the boxes – he’s young (21 years old), versatile (center back and left back) and affordable (around €10m). The Englishman also has the required technical ability. Playing in the Man City academy since age 11, he was taught to play football the Guardiola way very early on. Callum Doyle is a passing machine. Last season he attempted 84.95 passes per 90 minutes (top 1%). As a comparison, Tuta only attempted 61.16 passes per 90 last season. Doyle‘s pass completion of 84.7%, however was actually below average for a center back. That‘s because Doyle doesn’t shy away from playing risky passes. At Norwich, he always looked for passes towards his attackers, playing 5 progressive passes per 90 (top 9%) and assisting 7 goals over the season (top 1%). If he doesn’t find a pass, Doyle also likes to drive forward with the ball at his feet. Last season he completed 0.94 progressive carries (top 19%) and 0.55 successful dribbles (top 6%) per 90 minutes.
Doyle is also a very strong and powerful defender. Standing at 1.90m, he has a very robust frame. His number of defensive actions was actually pretty average last season. Although, that was mostly due to Norwich‘s dominant and possession-based style of play. When required, Doyle can be a very aggressive and effective tackler.
Callum Doyle could be a great addition to our defense, adding another option both at center back and left back. He’d be an ideal fit for Dino Toppmöller, who might opt for a more controlled approach this season. If his development goes according to plan, the Englishman will also have a very high resale value in the future. For just around €10m, he‘s a bargain this summer.
