Borna Sosa is enjoying a breakout season and the Stuttgart defender is on the radar of a number of top Premier League clubs.
Sosa has been linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham over recent months and the Croatia international has been spoken about as one of the best left-backs in European football.
We've compiled everything you need to know about the 24-year-old.
His career so far
Like most of the talent in Croatian football, Borna Sosa came through the academy of serial champions Dinamo Zagreb.
Whereas the trio of Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovacic and Luka Modric played upwards of 60 matches for the club, Sosa was prized away after just one season for Dinamo, moving to Stuttgart in 2018.
After seeing his first two seasons in Germany disrupted by injuries, Sosa found form and consistency in Pellegrino Matarazzo's 3-4-2-1 formation as Stuttgart made a decent fist of their Bundesliga return.
Across 2021, Sosa registered 12 assists in the Bundesliga, 11 of which came from aerial crosses out of open play or set-piece situations.
With star striker Sasa Kalajdzic clocking in as the tallest player in the Bundesliga, Sosa has had the ideal recipient for all of his creative production.
His exploits have led to international recognition – but not without a little controversy.
In May 2021, it was announced that Sosa had been given German citizenship with the expectation he'd be selected for that summer's European Championship.
But it was soon discovered that the defender was ineligible to represent Germany under FIFA rules. After issuing an apology to the Croatian public, Sosa made his international debut for the 2018 World Cup runners-up in August 2021.
He soon became a national hero in the crucial World Cup qualifier with Russia in November, providing the cross that caused Fyodor Kudryashov's own goal and sent Croatia to Qatar.
Reports in January linked Sosa with a move to Chelsea – to replace the injured Ben Chilwell – and Aston Villa before they signed Lucas Digne.
And it's now rumoured that Arsenal and Tottenham are monitoring the Stuttgart man with the intention of making a summer move.
Style of play
Sosa's style of play revolves around crossing the ball. Everything else is secondary.
Nobody in Europe's top five leagues has completed more 'deep crosses' this season than Sosa.
While that may seem like a rather niche statistic, it does highlight's Sosa's almost unravelled ability to pick out a man in the most crowded of penalty areas from 20 or 30 yards away.
At 6ft 2in, Sosa can play either left-back or left wing-back and his versatility would make him an asset to a number of Premier League managers.
With Stuttgart struggling this season, partly because of injuries to Kalajdzic, Sosa has been unable to showcase his crossing abilities as often as last year.
Most of his standout moments have come when going directly towards goal himself or, when he has been sparingly used from the right, cutting into the halfspaces and combining as an auxiliary midfielder.
What he's said
“When I came to Stuttgart, Mario Gomez told me he hadn't been served these kinds of crosses since his time at Bayern Munich. That was great to hear, and motivates me to this day,” Sosa said in relation to his uptick in goals and assists.
“As far as I can remember, my strengths have always been my speed and a good left foot. Not just crosses but in general. Passing, shooting, free kicks, corners, et cetera. Regardless of which team I played in, I was the fastest in testing.”
When asked about his weaknesses by the Bundesliga website in 2021, the full-back said: “I wouldn't call it a weakness, but because I've not done so much of it, is defending.
“Because I grew up playing football at Dinamo and we always played offensively, always to win, in every game. And so you automatically have less defensive tasks.”
He admitted that, while David Alaba was an inspiration growing up, his idol was more obvious, saying: “David Alaba was my favourite player in my position. Because back then he played left-back, today he plays as a centre-back.
“He was really my favourite player in my position, but overall my idol was Leo Messi.”
What they've said
“Borna Sosa has blossomed,” said Stuttgart manager Matarazzo back in 2020. “We knew he had enormous potential. He plays very consistently over 90 minutes. We're really glad.”
“Borna's said himself that David Beckham is his role model, and I think he has the same qualities,” Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat told Bild.
“The only glaring difference being that Beckham's preferred foot was his right.”
“He puts in crosses from every angle: sometimes chipped, sometimes drilled, sometimes flat, sometimes in behind, sometimes to the front post, other times to the back post. His left foot is a real weapon.”
Former Germany international Didi Hamman has backed Sosa to be a success in the Premier League should he move to England.
Speaking about rumours linking Sosa with Chelsea, Hamman said: “There was actually talk of him (Sosa) being sold a couple of years back, but he's come back to life with the arrival of Kalajdzic.
“He crosses the ball as well as anyone around and I think he's assisted at least half of the goals Kalajdzic has scored this season.
“He's a danger going forward and he's very good at defending his own goal as well.
“I think he's a very decent player who could do a job in the Premier League and at a club like Chelsea.”