Erik ten Hag playing style a 'perfect' fit for Bayer Leverkusen star as defender compares ex-Man Utd boss to Xabi Alonso

Tapsoba, who is expected to lead Leverkusen's defensive line after Jonathan Tah's departure, believes new manager Ten Hag's playing style is a perfect fit for him and the club and that the Dutch manager's build-up philosophy resembles that of former manager Xabi Alonso.

After a successful tenure at Leverkusen, Alonso shifted base to Real Madrid this summer to replace Carlo Ancelotti. To fill in the boots of the Spaniard, sporting director Simon Rolfes turned his sight to former Manchester United boss Ten Hag. After Alonso's departure, a few players like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Tah left the club, and Tapsoba is looked upon as a successor to the latter, who served the club for 10 seasons. Having joined the side back in 2020, Tapsoba is also the longest-serving player in the current squad.

The defender said in an interview with Bild: "I knew him from Ajax. His style of play is similar to that of Xabi Alonso, also in terms of the build-up of the game This fits my game perfectly."

He added: "Everything has changed. We came to Brazil and lost a lot of players. We have a new coach. We have to adapt for the coming season. That's our job. Of course, I have to take on more responsibility now. I've learned a lot from Jona, and now it's my turn. I'm trying to help the team as best I can, including as one of the leaders. Jona and I have talked about it, and he thinks now is the right time for me to take the next step. I want to be a leader—including as one of the team's vocal leaders."

Leverkusen started the new era under Ten Hag with a 5-1 defeat to Flamengo U-20s on July 18. They will now take on Bochum in their next friendly on July 27.