TTLB OPINION: Is Mathias Olivera the next evolution at left-back at Tottenham?

The North Londoners have been spoilt by the dynamism of Destiny Udogie down that left flank, but we need to remember that the Australian head coach in charge of the helm at N17 deploys aggressiveness with the ball with a high line and a more narrow width in the second phase – this in a way demands more than just explosiveness from the full-backs; you need discipline complemented by an understanding of positional rotation and phase-to-phase fluidity.

And Olivera (unlike Udogie) doesn’t bring any chaos or box-office attacking numbers, but what he brings is stability, and that right now, that’s gold for Tottenham.

He has shown that he has that tactical maturity about him and is more defensively secure. The 27-year-old can come into the midfield block (inverted role) with confidence, and this can help the Lilywhites hold their shape when the right side overloads offensively with Pedro Porro. Another trait of the Napoli man is going into 1v1 situations without giving away fouls, and he does possess a good understanding of recovery space when balls are played into channels.

Then, unlike many technical players with the ball who want possession dominance in the first phase, Mathias Olivera doesn’t need it. And given how Tottenham are quite dangerous with their lopsided attacks, bringing in someone like the 27-year-old brings a sense of balance and predictability which allows the creative players in the squad to take more risks knowing there’s structure behind them.

But then the question remains, what €40 million really buys you in Mathias Olivera?

When we speak current market and then spending €40M on a non-attacking full-back, given the current nature of how players always like to play on the front foot is going to raise eyebrows, but we need to remember that this money isn’t spent on buying flair here. Daniel Levy is paying for tactical insurance, someone who can command the back line and a profile that can go toe-to-toe with Champions League wingers. We are not really talking depth (as I mentioned before); we are talking a dual-starter plan.

See, Udogie has had injury problems given the heavy workloads, so Olivera slots inside without requiring a system change when the former is on the sidelines. If we are talking from a rotation point of view, Tottenham need left-backs who can rotate without resetting patterns, and in Olivera they can find someone who can mirror Udogie or even allow him to push further forward if Ange deploys a 3-4-3.

And given how well he has performed in the Champions League and against elite pressing teams, Tottenham will be getting someone who doesn’t have to adapt to the tempo of the highest level.

Author Opinion

Let’s get one thing straight: at €40 million, he is definitely not a squad filler. Signing him is a starter-level transfer that must deliver impact immediately, but if you zoom out a little and look at where Levy wants to take this team, Olivera does make strategic sense. As I said, he is not going to light up the highlight reels, but he might be the reason the reels for other players would exist, given how he can keep a clean shape with full-backs aligned.