Scouting Arnaud Kalimuendo: Strengths, Weaknesses & Tactical fit of potential Tottenham Hotspur target under Thomas Frank

The 23-year-old has been impressive in the past season, given how he has netted 18 goals in all competitions, showing his goalscoring prowess.

Kalimuendo is someone who is quite mobile and possesses a clean technical ability, given how he can thrive in tight spaces complemented by his press resistance and that multi-positional edge. That being said, while he is not the most explosive striker available in the market, he has that ability to contribute in multiple facets in terms of offensive dynamics, which has earned him links with a move to Tottenham.

He is a “weapon” forward who has the capacity to have a big future ahead of him.

How does Arnaud Kalimuendo fit tactically under Thomas Frank?

The Dane head coach plays a lot with a dynamic second striker in a 3-5-2, and this dual forward setup typically has one physical player complemented by one mobile forward, and this is where Kalimuendo can be used in the latter role, given how he is really good at dropping off the line to receive the ball between midfield and defence and has the capacity to set himself up for third-man runs behind defenders after the target man drags his man away. He is also technically quite sharp, which will make him ideal to play in triangle combinations when paired with someone like Mathys Tel or Solanke.

When playing in this setup, you can use Kalimuendo in the Bryan Mbeumo role at N17, given how he has the capacity to drift out wide in transitions whilst pressing from the front and then having the capacity to exploit pockets vacated by his striking partner.

Another thing that he can do is play as a false wide forward in a 4-3-3 where the Dane shifts into a formation where he can play the 23-year-old as a left-sided inverted wide forward who cuts in on his stronger right foot or even as a secondary playmaker who can link up with the midfield trio and combine with an overlapping fullback.

He is also a second option to switch roles with Son or Maddison depending on sequence rotations, and this flexibility in terms of roles gives Frank a flow of tactical options which could give a lot of variable options to adept, especially when the Lilywhites play in Europe.

Another thing that he does bring to the table is his ability to press, given how he is intelligent in cutting off passing lanes and he is smart with his cues about using his press triggers. He also has the stamina to keep on defending from the first line for the majority of the game, given how well he has been winning the ball in high spaces given his quick lateral movement. In the compact mid-to-high press that Tottenham are possibly going to explore under Frank, here Kalimuendo brings that “first line of rest defence” option.

Strengths

He is excellent with his movements in the final third, and that also translates into his pressing. Kalimuendo also has the capacity to link up play quite effectively with the midfield.

Weakness

While he has a lot of attributes going forward, that final output in front of goal is something that he still lacks, and this is where he needs to massively improve. And while you can use the 23-year-old Frenchman through the channels, there is still a possibility that he easily gets outmuscled against the rest of the deeper defences in the English top tier.

Author Opinion

Arnaud Kalimuendo is not your headline striker, but he is instead sort of a tactical jigsaw piece for Thomas Frank, given how he helps the Dane to play multiple systems (3-5-2, 4-3-3) without any compromise on pressing identity or transition acuity.