Scout Report – Davinson Sanchez
Tottenham Hotspur are close to clinching their first deal of the summer as reports from the Mirror claim that the club are in negotiations with Dutch side AFC Ajax over the potential transfer of defender Davinson Sanchez.
The 21-year old was one of the standout performers for the Dutch giants last season, as they finished second in the Eredivisie and made it all the way to the finals of the UEFA Europa League. The report claims that Ajax are demanding £35million for his services, but Spurs manager Daniel Levy isn’t willing to shell out more than £25million for the Colombian centre-half.
However, a deal is expected to be struck soon and Spurs could soon have their first summer arrival. With negotiations underway, here we take a closer look at who Davinson Sanchez is and what he will be offering to the North Londoners.
Footballing Background
Born on 12 June, 1996, in Caloto, Colombia, Sanchez started off his footballing career with the youth academy of America de Cali, before moving on to join Atletico Nacional. His rise through the ranks at Atletcico was extremely rapid, as the people at the club recognised his immense potential at a very early age.
Sanchez made his debut for the club in October 2013, in a 1-0 loss to Boyaca Chico and was then promoted to the first team on a permanent basis. His breakthrough season came in 2015-16, when he notched up 24 appearances for the club, scoring on one occasion.
Impressed by his performances, a lot of clubs circled in the summer of 2016, but the defender opted to join Ajax. The 21-year old was exceptional in his first season with the Dutch giants, making 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring 6 times and registering 2 assists. Sanchez enjoyed a stellar season and as a result, was named as the Ajax Player of the year. He has played in both the UEFA Champions League qualifying ties for Ajax this season.
Sanchez has represented the Colombia national team at the U-17, U-20 and the U-23 levels. He broke into the senior national team in 2016 and has played twice so far.
Style Of Play
A modern centre-back with top notch ball playing abilities, Sanchez has been praised for the composure he has shown with the ball at his feet and his excellent distribution skills.
His passing from the back is arguably the strongest feature of his game. The 21-year old possesses a great range of distribution and usually ends up finding his teammates with unerring accuracy. In the league games last season, Sanchez attempted a whopping 2279 passes – which is a very high number for a centre-back and he completed 88.9% of those passes – definitely impressive and something that will suit Tottenham’s style of play very well.
Tall and robust, standing at 6ft 2in, Sanchez is a powerful header of the ball and puts that skill to good use at both ends of the pitch. Last season in the Eredivisie, Sanchez won close to 60% of his headed duels in 32 league outings and the fact that he scored 6 goals indicates how effective he can be in the opposition box.
Despite being only 21 years old, Sanchez has displayed a great level of maturity and concentration so far. He does have a tendency to press higher up the pitch, leaving some space behind – something that was seen in the Europa League final against Manchester United last season. But the Colombian also possesses great speed to make up ground and is a strong tackler too.
What Does The Future Hold?
Sanchez has shown all the traits of a great centre-half in the making. At just 21, he has displayed a great amount of potential and ticks almost all the boxes required to excel on the biggest of stages. He fits very well into the profile of players Tottenham have recruited under Mauricio Pochettino – young, with great promise, and fit the club’s style of play. However, Spurs need to make sure they arrive at a conclusion at the earliest and not lose out due to Levy’s haggling for a bargain.