Does Barcelona really need Jonathan Tah? Here's how he would fit into the culé defense

Jonathan Tah is currently the center of the first major transfer debate for FC Barcelona ahead of next summer. Hans Flick believes that the captain of Bayer Leverkusen would be a very useful addition to the azulgrana squad, but his arrival will inevitably force the departure of at least two of the center-backs currently at Barça this season. Initially, Andreas Christensen and Eric García would be the 'sacrificed' to make way for the German international.

Economically, the operation does not raise too many doubts, as the 29-year-old defender would arrive at 'zero cost' and his salary (around 3 million euros net per year) would not be difficult to fit into the culé wage bill. On the sporting side, the Hamburg native also has more than enough credentials to at least compete for a spot in Flick's lineup.

Tah has played a total of 386 official matches with Bayer Leverkusen, a team with which he won the double (Bundesliga and Europa League) while being one of its captains. This season, he averages 66.2% effectiveness in duels won (53) and his passing accuracy is 93.8%, higher than that of Pau Cubarsí (93.4%) and Iñigo Martínez (91.4%), the center-backs who have played the most matches so far with Barça in the 24/25 season.

The aerial game, Jonathan Tah's great strength

However, it is in the aerial game where the German international stands out compared to the two center-backs most used by Hansi Flick. Jonathan has won 42 aerial duels this season (75%), while Cubarsí, although he has won more aerial disputes (48), maintains an effectiveness of 63.2%. Iñigo presents very similar numbers (40 aerial duels won, for a 61.5% effectiveness).

In that sense, Tah makes the most of his height (1.95 m) without sacrificing security with the ball at his feet. Furthermore, he is usually a very organized defender, so he should not have too many problems adapting to the usual overtaking of lines that Barça has implemented since Flick's arrival. The culé defense plays very forward, almost always on the edge of the central circle, so a mistake by any of the back four can be lethal.

The German, however, would arrive to challenge not only Pau and Martínez for a starting position. He could also seriously compromise Ronald Araujo's prominence in the team. The 'charrúa' has very similar physical and technical characteristics to the '4' of Leverkusen, although his injury history is much less alarming compared to that of the culé captain. The Hamburg native has been injured for a maximum of 81 days (in the 2016/17 season) with the Bayer team.