Jonathan Tah would like to leave Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the summer after seven years. Italy, but above all England, is the preferred destination for the German international. Leverkusen’s managing director Simon Rolfes expressed the faint hope that the defense chief would stay. But that is unlikely.
Does he stay or does he go? Jonathan Tah wants to make his Premier League dream come true.
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Usually the order is reversed. In many cases, an upward trend or a very strong phase of a player is followed by the desire to change clubs in order to find out how far one’s own career can be pushed. With Jonathan Tah, the temporary process was different.
After the 27-year-old decided to look for a new challenge in the summer after a season that had been disappointing not only for him at Bayer 04, and clearly documented this with his move to Pini Zahavi as an agent, Tah played a very strong second half of the season .
Previously far from secure in his place as head of defense under coach Xabi Alonso, he has now risen to become a top performer again. Not only, but above all in the Europa League, the giant showed outstanding performances, for which he was also called up by UEFA with the top eleven of this competition.
A quite remarkable award, as the players from the two finalists usually dominate, as they did this season. Tah (along with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Union Saint-Gilloise’s Victor Boniface) is one of only three players not to play for Europa League winners FC Sevilla or AS Roma, who are defeated by the Spaniards.
How big is the chance of staying really?
Tah is also held in the highest esteem by Xabi Alonso. And so it’s not surprising that the Spaniard has expressed his wish for Tah to stay in Leverkusen. But how big is the chance of that really? In any case, they have not yet written off Tah in Leverkusen, as Simon Rolfes explained on Tuesday.
He always had the goal of playing in the Premier League.
“He was rightly chosen in this eleven, played a very good second half of the season. He also played well in games in which the team was not so good. Jona played an important role in the difficult games,” praised the managing director the defender, who can leave Bayer in the summer with an exit clause in his contract, which runs until 2025, and comments: “If he doesn’t see the opportunity, he’s still our player. There’s definitely a chance that he’ll stay .”
But Tah is moving away from Leverkusen after seven years. Possibly to Italy, since his future wife is Italian. Ideally to England. “He always had the goal of playing in the Premier League. That was also part of the talks back then. We tried to find a solution that was interesting for both sides. We found it,” says Rolfes, explaining the history of the Exit clause, which provides for a fixed transfer fee of 18 million euros.
Tah buying the clause is “not an issue”
But the hope is not too great that Tah will continue to wear the Bayer jersey. Apparently, Rolfes has almost finished with this idea. As he says: “He was an important player.” closed past. Buying the clause, which must be drawn by the beginning of July, is “not an issue,” said the 41-year-old.
Because despite Xabi Alonso’s courtship, Tah’s position is clear. He is looking for a new challenge. In Italy there are already interested parties for him from clubs that at least have ambitions to play in the Champions League in the future.
Interested parties in the UK should also be from this category if the market picks up speed there. Tah doesn’t necessarily want to appear in the royal class next season, but at least see the prospect of being there with his new club next year.
2023-06-06 14:49:35
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