Kevin Wimmer

Kevin Wimmer

Wimmer with Austria U-21 in 2012
Personal information
Full name Kevin Wimmer[1]
Date of birth (1992-11-15) 15 November 1992[2]
Place of birth Wels, Austria
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Tottenham Hotspur
Number 27
Youth career
1998–2000 FC Edt
2000–2010 Fußballakademie Linz
2010–2011 LASK Linz
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 LASK Linz 28 (4)
2012–2015 1. FC Köln 67 (2)
2015– Tottenham Hotspur 11 (0)
National team‡
2010 Austria U18 2 (0)
2012– Austria U21 10 (0)
2013– Austria 2 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 November 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 October 2013

Kevin Wimmer (born 15 November 1992) is an Austrian footballer who plays as a centre back for English club Tottenham Hotspur and the Austria national team.

Club career

1. FC Köln

In June 2012, Wimmer moved from Austrian side LASK Linz to German club 1. FC Köln for a €250,000 transfer fee.[3] On 5 August 2012, he made his debut in a 1–0 loss to Eintracht Braunschweig.[4] He went on to become a regular in Köln's defence. On 29 November 2013, Wimmer scored his first goal in a 3–0 win over FC St. Pauli.[5]

In the 2013–14 season, Wimmer helped the club set a 2. Bundesliga record only conceding 20 goals as they earned promotion to the Bundesliga. Wimmer continued his good performances in Germany's top division to help Köln stay in the Bundesliga, managing to avoid defeat against every team, save for Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg, at least once. The team played a Bundesliga record nine 0–0 draws, equalling Bayern Munich's 1966 Bundesliga record of not conceding a goal in 13 matches. In the 2014–15 season, Wimmer started 32 matches and was named the seventh-best defender in the league by football magazine Kicker.[6][7][8][9]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 29 May 2015, Wimmer joined English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract for a reported £4.3 million transfer fee.[10][11] On 30 July, he made his Tottenham debut against the MLS All-Stars in a 2–1 defeat in Denver, Colorado. Wimmer replaced captain Jan Vertonghen after 45 minutes and made his debut alongside fellow new signings Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld. He wore the number 27 for the club.

On 4 August 2015, Wimmer made his first start for the club in a 2–0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Audi Cup, played in Munich, and was replaced by Jan Vertonghen after 46 minutes. Wimmer was limited to scant cup appearances and squad namings to start the season, mainly due to the strong central defense partnership between Vertonghen and Alderweireld.[12] With a loan out of the club a potential possibility, manager Mauricio Pochettino elected to keep Wimmer, citing a need for depth in defense in case of an injury.[13][14] Such an opportunity arose, as Wimmer finally got his breakthrough when he made his first league appearance of the 2015–16 Premier League season on 23 January 2016, coming on as a substitute for an injured Vertonghen in a 3–1 win over Crystal Palace.[15] With Vertonghen ruled out for about two months, Wimmer was set for an extended run as his replacement in both the Premier League and the Europa League knockout stages.[16] Wimmer impressed as Vertonghen's replacement, making 15 starts across all competitions before Vertonghen returned against Manchester United on 10 April.[17] In the 9 league starts made by Wimmer, Tottenham only gave up six goals as they reached second place in the table. After the season, Wimmer signed a new five-year contract, keeping him at Tottenham until the summer of 2021.[18]

Despite heading into the 2016–17 season with "different expectations" on the heels of his first season, Wimmer was once again on the bench to start the year, not helped by a preseason thigh injury. After telling the Austrian paper Kleine Zeitung in October that he was waiting "patiently for his chance",[19] an injury to Toby Alderweireld opened up the door for Wimmer, but it was initially Eric Dier who took his spot at centre-back.[20] A second injury was necessary for Wimmer to crack the lineup, and it was Dele Alli who suffered this time. Wimmer appeared for the first time in the Premier League that season on 6 November against bitter rivals Arsenal as the lone centre-back in a three-man back line that was used for the first time by manager Mauricio Pochettino that season.[21] In the derby, Wimmer scored an own goal attempting to defend a whipping Mesut Özil free kick in the 1-1 draw.[22]

Career statistics

Club statistics
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
LASK Linz 2011–12 Erste Liga 26300——263
1. FC Köln 2012–13 2. Bundesliga 9020——110
2013–14 26200——262
2014–15 Bundesliga 32010——330
1. FC Köln total + LASK Linz total 93530——965
Tottenham Hotspur 2015–16 Premier League 100401050210
2016–17 1000201040
Career total 10457030601215

International career

Wimmer has represented Austria at under-17, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels.

On 15 November 2013, he made his senior debut for the Austria national team in a friendly, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win over the United States.[23]

References

  1. ↑ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Premier League Player Profile Kevin Wimmer". Barclays Premier League. 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Hytner, David (20 March 2015). "Tottenham agree £4.3m deal to sign Kevin Wimmer from FC Köln". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Ademi braucht nur wenige Sekunden gegen Köln" (in German). 5 August 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "ST. PAULI VS. KÖLN 0 - 3". Socerway. 29 November 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Termine 2014/15, 1. FC Köln
  7. ↑ 1. Bundesliga - Spieltag / Tabelle 2014/2015
  8. ↑ 1. Bundesliga Topspieler 2014/15
  9. ↑ Rekord-Jäger Stöger: Erfolgreichster Start seit 19 Jahren?, Bild, 2015-08-29.
  10. ↑ "Wimmer Completes Move". Tottenham Hotspur FC. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "Tottenham sign Kevin Wimmer from FC Koln for £4.3m". The Telegraph. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "KEVIN'S PRAISE FOR TOBY AND JAN". Tottenham Hotspur FC. 17 December 2015.
  13. ↑ Lewis, Darren (27 December 2015). "Tottenham defender Kevin Wimmer a loan target for French outfit Marseille". The Mirror.
  14. ↑ Jones, Simon (7 January 2016). "Tottenham refuse to let Kevin Wimmer leave to Stuttgart on loan". The Daily Mail.
  15. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1-3 Tottenham". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  16. ↑ Kilpatrick, Dan (31 January 2016). "Kevin Wimmer ready to stand in for Jan Vertonghen at Tottenham". ESPN FC.
  17. ↑ "The Big Interview with Jan Vertonghen". Tottenham Hotspur FC. 12 April 2016.
  18. ↑ Thomas, Lyall (21 July 2016). "Kevin Wimmer signs new five-year Tottenham contract". Sky Sports.
  19. ↑ ""Risikomann" Wimmer und seine Ruhe". Kleine Zeitung (in German). 7 October 2016.
  20. ↑ Ralph, Vincent (16 October 2016). "Tottenham fans call for Wimmer after Alderweireld injury". HITC.
  21. ↑ Ames, Nick (6 November 2016). "Arsenal miss chance to go top as Tottenham fight back for derby draw". ESPN FC.
  22. ↑ "Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  23. ↑ "AUSTRIA VS. UNITED STATES 1 - 0". Soccerway. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
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