Everton are closing in on the free transfer signing of Kenny Tete when his Fulham contract expires, according to reports from Fabrizio Romano and Paddy Boyland of the Athletic.
It is always a good sign when fans of an outgoing player are disappointed to see him leave and in the case of Tete, it is clear he is a hugely respected member of the squad.
A fan on the Friends of Fulham forum said: “Such a beast defensively and a key part in us picking up victories against big teams such is his dominance in defence.”
Another added: “I am just gutted. Tete is a really good full back and loves a tackle. Decent crosser of the ball as well. Everton’s gain our loss.”
But what can Everton fans expect from Kenny Tete?
Tete is an aggressive defender who likes to press wingers higher up the pitch. He is also hard to beat in 1v1 situations, where he is capable of shutting down the Premier League’s best attacking players.
His ability to win the ball against tricky opponents first made headlines when he was at Lyon. Facing Neymar of PSG, a video circulated showing him executed a perfect tackle to win the ball from the Brazilian.
In the opening two games of 2022 he shut down Luis Diaz and Hueng-Min Son in consecutive games, cemeting his reputation as a superb 1v1 defender. Across his 78 starts for Fulham in the Premier League he is one of the league’s best defenders when it comes to successful tackles per game, least number of times he has been dribbled past, and ground duels won.
That is not to say he is not comfortable on the ball. A product of the Ajax youth academy, he is also a versatile player capable of playing in a back three or a wing back.
Former teammate Mickey van der Hart told The Athletic: “I remember him being always very tough; he’s very strong, fast, technically well-developed, like a typical academy player of Ajax. Physically he was so tough, which was not really a natural thing because in Ajax’s academy.
“He is amazing one against one. He’s not really a modern, Dani-Alves type full-back, his speciality is defensively — he’s very stable. But of course, if you grow up at Ajax, you have that attacking ability as well.“
Fulham signed him for just £3m and interestingly Everton were also credited with interest at the time. Fans have described it as one of the best bargains in recent times. He is a Netherlands international with 14 caps and has been a solid and dependable Premier League defender.
He ticks nearly every box for Everton. David Moyes put his faith in defensive-first right backs for several years in the shape of Tony Hibbert and then Phil Neville and while it often made for a lopsided team with Leighton Baines pushing higher up at left back, it seems he has continued the theme in his second spell.
Moyes has been full of praise for Jake O’Brien’s ‘hybrid’ right back role that enables him to step in more centrally if needed and Tete’s ability to defend and play centrally means he would be an obvious fit for a similar role.
There is one downside to Kenny Tete’s recent performances. Injuries are a constant concern for the defender and he missed 19 games last year through injury. This is something that has dogged Tete throughout his career, from his debut season at Ajax to his time at Lyon and Fulham. In the 2022/23 season he missed 15 games with groin and hamstring niggles.
According to Marco Silva: “In the last two seasons, there have always been some breaks during the season with injuries. With Kenny, it’s happened too often, if I can say that. We want him in his best physical condition because he is an important player for us.”
If Everton can keep him fit he adds much-needed depth and Premier League experience to a squad short of numbers. It is an astute and affordable new signing to take Everton’s total to two so far this summer.