OL: Who is Tanner Tessmann, the new gem discovered in Venice?

After a long and exhausting last season marked by two coaching changes (Laurent Blanc, Fabio Grosso, Pierre Sage), Olympique Lyonnais, which was hovering around the red zone until January, had finally found its best, gradually climbing the rankings and even managing to pocket a European ticket. Freer in the summer transfer window without the shadow of the National Management Control Directorate (DNCG) hanging over it, the Lyon management has pulled out all the stops to strengthen the Gones squad with the arrivals of Moussa Niakhaté, Georges Mikautadze, Rémy Descamps and Abner. Not to mention the options activated for Orel Mangala, Ernest Nuamah, Saïd Benrahma, Duje Caleta-Car and Mama Baldé. With nearly 134.29 million euros spent on this transfer window according to figures from Transfermarkt, the residents of the Groupama Stadium are displaying their objectives for this new campaign.

Indeed, Olympique Lyonnais hopes to regain its status in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, while making a good showing in the Europa League. In this sense, a few days before the end of the summer transfer window, John Textor and the other leaders are preparing some clever little moves to give Pierre Sage a little more weapons. Thus, according to information from our colleagues at The Teamthe Rhone club will make a great deal by securing the services of American midfielder, Tanner Tessmann, from Venice. American international and present at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with his country, the native of Birmingham in Alabama arrives in Lyon for 6 million euros. After two great seasons in Serie B with the Veneto club, Tessmann will experience the next level and continue his development under the OL jersey. He is expected in the Capital of the Gauls in the coming hours to undergo his medical examination before officially signing his contract.

A versatile profile in the axis

A midfielder with a number six passer role does not always manage to combine his offensive qualities by alternating with a high defensive role, but this is where Tanner Tessmann stands out from other midfielders. Indeed, the American, who notably passed through the Dallas FC academy in MLS, covers all areas of the field, from his own defense to the opponent’s surface while moving out to the wings. Thus, he is a midfielder with a high volume of play as shown by his average heatmap last season in Serie B with Venezia. The future OL player has two main qualities: passing and recoveries. In the Arancioneroverdi jersey, he posted an impressive statistic of 8.48 passes completed per 90 minutes, which places him in the top 2 percentile in his position. If his teammates had been more efficient, Tanner Tessmann would have been among the best assist providers in the Italian league. The 22-year-old has improved his defensive range, making the second-most interceptions and fourth-most clearances in the Italian antechamber. He is the fifth-best player in the advanced Expected Threat (xT) statistic, which measures the ability to be dangerous and impactful with the ball at foot. He has also completed the most through passes and successful dribbles for the team while creating the second-most chances.

Over the course of last season, Tanner Tessmann scored seven goals and provided three assists, acting as the team’s orchestrator. His mastery of both attacking and defensive play makes him a perfect candidate to play as a defensive midfielder in a double pivot. Tessmann’s only concern is his number of carries, as he often loses the ball trying to bring it forward. Paolo Vanoli’s Venezia last season were a team that ranked among the best in possession, while conceding the fewest shots in Serie B. Tessmann’s presence at the heart of the play is one of the reasons why opposing teams were unable to effectively bring the ball around the Venetian goal area. Vanoli’s successor (who left for Torino) on the Venezia bench is none other than Eusebio Di Francesco, who recently praised Tanner Tessmann, as his profile is rare and crucial in a collective system: “I think Tessmann is the most difficult player to replace. We can find someone who is close to his characteristics, but we are not interested in a simple copy and paste. It will be important that we do not make a mistake in this choice.”With such potential, the American was not going to last long at La Serenissima.

OL won against tough competition

With such a growing rating in Italy, rumors have been rife in recent months about the future of Tanner Tessmann. While we are in the last part of the summer transfer window, the most valuable piece of the Venezia 2023/24 team promoted to Serie A is still officially in the team of the lagoon, but has been out of the professional group for several weeks to negotiate his transfer confirmed with his management at the start of the summer transfer window. And the suitors have not failed to answer the call, but for various reasons and multiple hiccups, his departure from Venice was aborted. The first two clubs to come knocking at the door were Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan last June. An initial agreement had been reached around an exchange with Gaetano Oristanio and millions of adjustments. The problem remains the greed of the player’s entourage, including his father, who had asked for several commissions equal to 2.2 million euros.

Fiorentina then joined the battle, easily reaching an agreement with Venezia as Inter had found, also sending defender Lorenzo Lucchesi on loan to Venezia, but the Viola also stiffened in the face of the demand for a third of the transfer fee in commissions for Tessmann’s agent and family. With this new deal falling through, the climate became tense between Tessman and Venezia. The Venetian management banged its fist on the table, refused to reintegrate the player into the professional squad and even threatened the entourage to leave Tanner Tessmann excluded until the winter transfer window, or even the entire season. At this stage, the other interested clubs, including Brighton and Torino, were afraid of entering into negotiations with Venezia and the player. Until OL scooped the pot…