Off to the island

Ink dry! Kevin Danso moves to Tottenham

Kevin Danso signs for Tottenham Hotspur.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures, Tottenham Hotspur)

It's fixed now! Kevin Danso is leaving the French first division club Lens to join Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

ÖFB team player Kevin Danso is moving to Tottenham in the English Premier League. The Londoners announced the transfer on Sunday morning, subject to international clearance and the granting of a work permit. The 26-year-old central defender will initially join on loan from RC Lens until the end of the season, after which there is a purchase obligation. According to media reports, the total package is worth around 25 million euros, with a five-year contract waiting in the summer.

Last summer, a transfer of Danso to AS Roma fell through due to an abnormal heart condition. After weeks of speculation about his state of health and a minimally invasive procedure in London, the Styrian made his comeback in mid-October. Most recently, Wolverhampton Wanderers had been courting the defender, but it was their league rivals who ultimately won the race despite having already agreed a medical check. The efforts of Italian record champions Juventus Turin were also unsuccessful.

Injury worries plague Tottenham
Danso will wear the number four shirt at Tottenham. He is not the first Austrian central defender to join Spurs. Kevin Wimmer played for the traditional club from 2015 to 2017, before the club sold him to league rivals Stoke City for the then ÖFB record sum of 19.4 million euros.

Tottenham, who reached the Champions League final in 2019, are currently only 16th in the league. The north Londoners are struggling with injury concerns. Coach Ange Postecoglou is missing Romanian Radu Dragusin, Uruguayan Cristian Romero and Italian Destiny Udogie, among others, in defense. Danso could therefore make his debut as early as Thursday in the semi-final second leg of the League Cup against Liverpool. Tottenham won the first leg against the Premier League leaders 1:0 at the beginning of January.

Top performer at Lens
Danso was born in Voitsberg but grew up in the UK. In 2019/20, he already spent a season on loan in the Premier League with Southampton. He then left his youth club FC Augsburg permanently for Lens in 2021. Reported transfer fee at the time: €5.5 million. Danso quickly developed into a top performer at Lens. After playing a key role in Ligarang two in the 2022/23 season, he was named in the French Ligue 1 team of the year. Since then, Danso has aroused desires.

Most recently, Danso played for Lens.

(Bild: AFP/APA/FRANCK FIFE)

"It's incredible how quickly time flies. Exactly three and a half years ago, you welcomed me with open arms and placed your trust in me," Danso wrote to his "friends" at Lens on the short messaging service X. "You have always supported me, even in difficult times like this summer. Now it's time to say goodbye. Although a new chapter in my life is beginning and I am looking forward to it, I will always keep you in my heart."

Most expensive ÖFB defender in history
Danso has played 128 competitive matches for Lens - more than for all other professional teams in his career combined. The transfer makes him the most expensive ÖFB defender in history. Similar transfer fees for Austrian footballers have only ever been paid for attacking players Marko Arnautovic and Christoph Baumgartner. The latter holds the Austrian record with his transfer from Hoffenheim to Leipzig in the summer of 2023 for a rumored €27 million.

Danso has played 24 international matches for the Austrian national team so far. He is likely to compete with Freiburg's Philipp Lienhart in central defense for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers for the place alongside returnee David Alaba.