Who is Filip Kostic? The answer to Tottenham's wing-back woes

 

From the moment Antonio Conte took over the Tottenham reins, fans knew they'd see a three-man defence with wing-backs key to the Italian's favoured system. They weren't disappointed when, in Conte's first game in charge - a Europa Conference League 3-2 win over Vitesse - Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal started on the left and right, respectively. 

 

However, with the end of the season upon us, there remains a general consensus that Conte isn't quite happy with the wing-back options at his disposal. To their credit, Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty have upped their performances in recent months, with the latter establishing himself as a key man once it became clear he wouldn't be leaving Spurs in the New Year and supporters finally saw the best of the former Wolves prior to his season-ending injury at Aston Villa. 

 

On the left, Ryan Sessegnon is now first choice, and that was before Sergio Reguilon's spell on the sidelines from last month. It could well be that the Spaniard has already played his final game for Spurs with Real Madrid able to activate their buyback clause in Reguilon this summer, which they may elect to do so and then sell on for a higher fee. 

 

In this instance, Spurs would need to strengthen at left wing-back and there are no shortage of players linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ivan Perisic, who played under Conte at Inter, albeit far less frequently than he would have hoped, is one supposedly on Spurs' radar, so too is Atalanta's Joakim Maehle, though the Italian boss may prefer a natural left footer here. 

 

Yet reports suggest that Filip Kostic, a player Conte has supposedly admired for some time, is the stand out candidate for the Spurs boss. Kostic played a key role in Eintracht Frankfurt's Europa League success earlier this month, providing the assist for Rafael Borre's equaliser on the way to their penalty shootout win over Rangers in Seville. 

 

Eintracht finished the 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign in 11th, but Europa League silverware guarantees the Eagles a spot in the 2022/23 Champions League with the German side entering the competition in the group stages. Kostic has a little over a year left to run on his current Eintracht deal and while he secured a Europa League winners' medal, he could well be persuaded to depart the European champions in the off-season. 

 

Kostic came close to leaving Eintracht last summer, only for a move to Lazio to collapse late in the window. The move reportedly fell through as Eintracht deliberately handed Lazio the wrong email address, a claim the former dispute, though even with the off-field issues, the 29-year-old enjoyed yet another superb domestic campaign. 

 

A return of nine assists ranked among the top 10 players in Germany's top tier this term, while a WhoScored rating of 7.11 was third among left-backs and left wing-backs to Alphonso Davies (7.32) and David Raum (7.16) of Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim, respectively. Those nine assists came from 87 key passes, that more than any other Bundesliga player in 2021/22, and more than double Reguilon and Sessegnon combined (41) in the Premier League. In addition, no player made more assists than Kostic (4) in the Europa League this season, the Serb (25) finishing second to Ricardo Horta (29) for chances created in the competition. 

 

 

What's key, though, is that Kostic isn't afraid to burst down the left flank and put the ball into the box, which Conte looks for from his wing-backs. He finished first for total crosses (369) and accurate crosses (103) in the 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign and while a cross success rate of 27.9% was the 29th best of the 65 players to have attempted 50 or more crosses in the division, the determination to whip the ball into the box will sit well with Conte. 

 

Spurs under Conte have the third best cross success rate (25.3%) in the Premier League, that coming from 463 crosses in total, and that in itself ranking 11th in England's top tier. The accuracy may drop if Spurs do land a cross-happy wing-back in Kostic, but they'd be far more effective down the left with the Serb willing to get to the byline to create the chances for the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski. 

 

Spurs attack down their left flank just 24% of the time, that the joint-lowest return in the Premier League this season, so a player of Kostic's style will add an alternative attacking option for Conte to maximise. Coupled with his ability to play on the left wing, the 52-year-old would have the in-game flexibility to tinker with his favoured system should needs must. 

 

While Kostic's arrival would perhaps limit Sessegnon's game time, Spurs would risk being caught short of wing-back options if, as expected, Reguilon departs the capital this summer. They'd need to bring in a new left wing-back regardless, so why not spend big to sign a player in that position who has been a consistent attacking force since joining Eintracht in 2018? 

 

The Europa League champions will be reluctant to lose one of their star players in the summer, but with his contract expiring in 2023 and Spurs allegedly readying a £25m offer, now is as good a time as any for Eintracht to cash in on Kostic or risk losing him on a free next summer.

Who is Filip Kostic? The answer to Tottenham's wing-back woes