Earlier this week, Stoke City made their seventh signing of the summer with the acquisition of centre-half Kevin Wimmer from Tottenham Hotspur for a reported £18m.
The Austrian international arrives at the bet365 Stadium on a five-year contract as manager Mark Hughes looks to strengthen his defence for the campaign ahead:
“Bringing Kevin here is a real coup in my view, because he is a hugely talented young player who will undoubtedly add further quality to the group. We have already brought Kurt (Zouma) into the Club and managed to get Bruno (Martins Indi) back on a permanent deal, which was important to us, and we have Ryan (Shawcross) here too. Obviously, this deal was with a view to the future because we know that Kurt is a Chelsea player, but Kevin is our player now and we knew that this deal wouldn’t have been available to us this time next year.”
Discussing his move with the club’s official website, the 24-year-old is desperate to cement a regular role after falling out of favour at Spurs:
“At every top Premier League football club there are groups of players in every position chasing those starting spots, and that is the case here, I know I will have to work hard and keep on improving to be successful…First and foremost I am here to help defend, but I am confident with the ball at my feet and I like to get the ball forward with accurate passes through the middle or up to the guys at the top end of the field.”
The History
A product of the youth system at Austrian outfit LASK Linz, Wimmer progressed through the reserves before making his senior debut in 2011/12.
Four goals and 28 league matches later, he was snapped up by then-German second division side FC Cologne in Aug 2012.
Wimmer produced two goals and a pair of assists in 35 league matches over the next two seasons, helping them clinch promotion to the Bundesliga ahead of the 2014/15 campaign. The centre-half featured 32 times that season and caught the eye of Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, who snapped him up in late May of 2015.
Yet Wimmer’s move to north London was more than a little underwhelming, with just 15 league appearances over his two seasons at the club.
On the international stage, he was handed a debut for Austria in 2013 and has since been selected on eight occasions.
The Prospects
Having fallen out of favour at Spurs, the switch to the Potteries allows Wimmer the chance to kick-start his career.
It now looks on the cards that Hughes is planning to keep faith in the 3-4-2-1 set-up utilised over the opening three rounds of fixtures.
Yet there’s still competition for places, with Kurt Zouma, Bruno Martins-Indi, skipper Ryan Shawcross and Geoff Cameron also vying for pitch time in the heart of defence.
With Zouma at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and Shawcross, Martins-Indi and Erik Pieters all costing 5.0, we’re hoping that Wimmer – who sets you back 4.4 in FPL (7.6 in Sky Sports) – can cement a spot and emerge as the cheapest nailed-on starter available for our five-man defences.
Yet in terms of minutes per Baseline Bonus Points System in 2016/17, his average of 12.3 minutes was well behind Zouma (3.7), Martins-Indi (6.0) and Shawcross (7.6).
You could argue, though, that this was in part to featuring alongside and Toby Alderweireld (5.2) and Jan Vertonghen (6.0) for Spurs.
Over the course of the previous two seasons, Wimmer has won a combined 60.7% of aerial duels and 66.7% of tackles.
Again, Zouma (71.1% and 84.4%) and Shawcross (64% and 74%) are better on both counts, and while Martins-Indi was superior for tackles (79.2%) in his first season at Stoke in 2016/17, he won just 48.3% of his headed duels. So far this term, he’s succeeded with 57.1%, which highlights an area of improvement for Hughes to consider.
Elsewhere, Hughes’ switch to a wing-back system could bring Cameron into the frame. Shifted from centre-half to right wing-back to accommodate Martins-Indi away to West Brom last weekend, the US international – at a price of just 4.5 – is clearly one to monitor if he can keep ahead of Mame Biram Diouf in the pecking order. The Senegalese was sidelined through injury for The Hawthorns visit.
In terms of goal threat, Wimmer has been less than impressive since arriving at Spurs. Having managed just a single attempt on goal in 1,168 minutes over the last two seasons, it’s likely that even if he nails down a starting role, you’ll be hard pushed to earn attacking returns from the Austrian.
Ultimately, if you are looking for goals from the Potters’ backline, Shawcross remains the best bet if you’re willing to splash out more – he registered 20 efforts in the box last year. Zouma’s four shots against West Brom show promise but few will be prepared to fork out a premium price for a Stoke defender.
While a clean sheet at home to Arsenal in Gameweek 2 is encouraging, clashes against Man United, Chelsea and Man City in the next five rounds of fixtures is enough of a deterrent for now until the schedule turns from Gameweek 9.
