Italian Serie A club Lazio has already bolstered its midfield with the acquisition of Daichi Kamada, but is also reportedly targeting a rising U.S. men’s national team prospect this summer.
Tanner Tessmann is on Lazio’s radar ahead of a potential move ahead of the new Serie A campaign, SportItalia reported Monday. Tessmann, 21, enjoyed a positive campaign with Serie B side Venezia in 2022-23 despite the club missing out on promotion.
A former FC Dallas academy midfielder, Tessmann moved to Venezia in 2021 ahead of their Serie A season. Tessmann has totaled 57 combined appearances for Venezia, scoring three goals and registering two assists.
Prior to his European move, Tessmann made 28 appearances for FC Dallas and 16 appearances for then-USL affiliate North Texas SC. He is one of several FC Dallas academy players to feature in Europe joining Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Reggie Cannon, and Chris Richards.
Tessmann debuted for the USMNT in February 2021, playing 12 minutes in a 7-0 friendly victory over Trinidad & Tobago. He also featured for the USMNT U-20’s and U-23’s in past appearances.
Lazio finished second in Serie A last season, 16 points behind league winners Napoli. They will open its competitive schedule on Aug. 20 against Lecce.
Maurizio Sarri’s squad will return to UEFA Champions League action this fall, as well as compete for the Scudetto and Coppa Italia trophies this season.
Tessman has always been a right footed LM. Saying he’s good at the 6, is saying Busio is good as a 6. They’re not! If they are both playing 6 for the US, then it’s a serious ‘re-allocation of valuable goods!’ If he goes to Lazio, he’s not being released for the Olympics. Very rarely do Euro club/front offices in Europe release
Americans for Olympics or Gold Cups. Europeans and their American descendants do not value competitions North Americans play in. He’s not a CB, because you can’t find a single lineup that has him listed as a CB. You can’t watch any Venezia replay with him as a CB because he doesn’t and has never played as a CB. Geoff Cameron was a CB when he left the MLS, then had the propensity to develop into a 6, because he was a good passer as a CB. Sarri (Sarri ball- former Chelsea manager, remember?) plays a 4-3-3. Tessman would fit in nicely in the left midfield between LW & LB. He has a good chance of playing significant minutes w/ Sarri at Lazio.
Tessman played primarily last season as the deepest and most central midfielder for Venezia in their 3-5-2. You are correct though they aren’t televised in the US so none of us really know where or how he’s being used. People do see his build and hear his football story (he was just going to be a kicker) and assume he’s a Nigel DeJong style enforcer but that’s not who he was at FCD or in Serie A his first year. It kind of comes to a discussion you and I have had before on what the definition of a 6 is? From the few all touches videos I found it does look like Tanner’s defense is improving but if people are looking for a like for like for Adams he’s not that. He’s more a protect the backline 6 than Busio but Busio was always a passing 6 (get him deep enough that he has time and space to play long passes between the lines and just get enough in the way to slow down attacks). Looking at Lazio’s roster they’ve got a ton of those CM players (between the W and the B) although they are almost all right footed. Basic, their left footed CM, made 25 app for 500 minutes last season that to me sounds like the amount of minutes Tessmann would get at Lazio (but Basic is still there).
Oops I misread your post I thought you said Tanner was left footed. Lazio has lots of those.
Lots of right footed midfielders just like Tanner is.
Busio’s sort of a 6/8 tweener, IMHO, leaning towards an 8. He needs some more lead in his butt and more bite if he wants to play as a 6, though your 8 is supposed to be able to score, too, and Busio wasn’t much of a factor in the box (at all) in MLS, though I was pleased to see him assert himself a lot more (admittedly with varying degrees of success) in this past Gold Cup. He’s definitely improved and his bite looked better to my eyes though it’s hard to imagine him ever being the pit bull Tyler Adams is. Still, I love – do not like, but absolutely love – Busio’s passing, though. No other way to put it but “he passes the ball like a really skilled Italian.” You can definitely see where his influences were growing up.
Tessmann’s a different beast. Admittedly I only saw a couple games with Tessmann at Venezia last year when I did a free trial with Helbiz Live (well, actually sort of free, I messed up and forgot to cancel it for two months), but he was definitely playing as a 6 and he definitely does not look like the skinny gangly kid he used to be at FC Dallas. Again, though, he reminded me a fair bit of Baby Bradley…not just in build (though he’s even bigger), but in playing style and intensity…he seemingly covered every blade of grass on the field and you constantly saw him showing up and making those late runs into the box you always saw from Bradley. Biggest difference to me was how slick he was on the ball. You’d see him juke guys right out of their shorts. Truthfully, the guy he really reminded me of even more than Bradley was that Belgian midfielder, Axel Witsel…though again, Tessmann’s even bigger.
He definitely looked like a guy with a future, whatever.
Q: It really depends what you want your DM(s) to do? A solo protector of the CBs? A good role for Adams. A deep passer to break lines and just slow down attackers so others can get back, ok for Busio especially with a defend first guy next to him in double pivot. Tessman seems to play kind of a combo of those for Venezia. I won’t be surprised if he moves but I will be surprised if it’s Lazio.
JR –
I am not at all familiar with Lazio beyond the fact that they’re a pretty big name in Italy. What have you seen that makes you believe Tessmann is not a fit there?
I’m not really that familiar with Lazio either other than they had a good year last year and return pretty much everyone that contributed to that success plus adding AM Kamada. They appear to have more depth at the 8/10 spots than the 6. I don’t know them well though so maybe some of that depth is expected to leave.
It’s Ok 2 Think
“If he goes to Lazio, he’s not being released for the Olympics. Very rarely do Euro club/front offices in Europe release Americans for Olympics or Gold Cups.”
Clubs don’t like to release any of their good players, Americans or otherwise for the Olympics. The Olympics are very glamorous and any athlete would love to be identified as an Olympian but in soccer terms, it is a youth tournament, an Under 23 tournament. If Tanner becomes a regular at Lazio, he’s already at a level above the Olympics and , you’re correct, they won’t want to release him for the Olympics.
FIFA rigged it that way because they didn’t want it competing with the mothership, the Real World Cup.
“Europeans and their American descendants do not value competitions North Americans play in.”
If you mean other than the World Cup or Copa America that’s because:
1. With the timing they deprive the players of seriously needed rest.
2. On an aesthetic level, they see CONCACAF competitions for what they are, crap games where their players are more likely to get injured by talentless hackers than anything else. See Reyna, Gio. Wait until Pulisic, Adams and Gio have to miss the 2026 WC because they get butchered in some CONCACAF game leading up to the WC.
FIFA requires that the clubs have to release players for some of the games but they don’t have to like it.
“Geoff Cameron was a CB when he left the MLS, then had the propensity to develop into a 6, because he was a good passer as a CB.”
I haven’t seen Tessman but I would go easy on comparing him to Geoff.
Geoff Cameron was exceptional, a freak. Pulis signed him as a midfielder. If you go over his stats you’ll see he spent more time in England as an attacking right back and a holding midfielder than at CB. He was fast, powerful and athletic and most of all, he may not have been John Stones, but he was really good on the ball.
He came directly from MLS and, more or less, slid right into the starting lineup for Stoke in the EPL and stayed there for quite a while. None of our current outfield players have been able to do that and Tessman is making his move from Serie B. Tanner would have his work cut out for him.
I don’t know if he is a Pirlo-like passer or how much “soccer IQ” Tessman has but at this point, maybe he’s good raw material for Sarri, who is known for liking deep lying playmakers.
From what I know, perhaps the best thing is to look at his Sarri’s Chelsea lineups and find an analog for Tessman. Maybe Ruben Loftus Cheek? Can Tessman play right back?
I’ve always gotten a Geoff Cammeron vibe from Tessmann. Big bodied CDM with decent passing ability, reasonable speed, and good soccer IQ. Not sure what position he’ll ultimately settle in at, but his versatility could be a benefit.
I could see him as the central CB in a 3 back system with Reynolds & TBD LCB.
Or as an option (similar to Cardoso) to back-up Adams at the CDM spot. Especially if we’re protecting a lead late in a game to help defend crosses or if we’ve got an opponent who’s physically dominating.
Reynolds is not a CB, sorry not his skill set.
sorry intended to say Richards and TBD.
Well that makes a lot more sense.
Tessmann is an even bigger, stronger version of Michael Bradley, with slicker moves on the ball. Big. Mean. Physical. Can run forever. Intense. Smart. And has a shot from distance that looks like a meteor on re-entry. (“Savage” doesn’t begin to describe it.)
He’s got the size and physicality to be a CB, sure, but he’s a really good 8 and an even better 6…and I have personally thought his upside is potentially higher even than Tyler Adams. It doesn’t surprise me even a little bit that Lazio is interested in him. Where the rubber hits the road when you’re talking about a top-tier prospect is, sure, the guy has all the ingredients on paper, but does he have the mentality and swiftness of thought to adjust to that topmost level? That you never know until you throw the guy in the deep end and see if he can swim. Knowing this guy’s family and the support network he has around him, I’d certainly be inclined to think so – his godfather is Dabo Swinney, if that gives you any idea – but you’re also never sure until you see the guy do it. We’ve watched Alex Zendejas and Daryl Dike and only God knows how many others fade under the bright lights, for instance…sometimes guys just do not equal the sum of their parts for whatever reason.
My money’s been on Tessmann being a future starter and possible star for us. We’ll see how smart I turn out to be. I loved Zendejas too and he fizzled.
In the back of my mind I’ve always had a bit of worry about our midfield (Regardless of formation) against certain types of opponents. Adams, McKennie, Musah, Reyna, LDLT, & Cardoso are all on the smaller side. Yes they are talented; and Adams & McKennie are willing to get stuck in; but some opponents with similar talent level can potentially physically dominate our players. Teams like Germany, Ghana, etc… have talented big men that can make life difficult. If Tessmann can add a bit of a physical presence to the midfield w/out sacrificing too much technical ability (as compared to the rest of our midfield options) I’d be a happy camper….since he’d allow for different tactics and/or allow a better matchup to the opponent since we haven’t had a truly physical dominant presence in the Midfield since Jermain Jones.
I agree as I’ve watched him play when I could and he is the real deal. How Busio got called up while not playing and Tessman didn’t for the GC was a head scratcher.
Alf: Tessman’s wedding was during GC, he was not available.
Lost in Space,
“In the back of my mind I’ve always had a bit of worry about our midfield (Regardless of formation) against certain types of opponents…..are all on the smaller side.
The USMNT has always been smaller and soft even on defense. And it’s not just about size.
Vacqui – The previous generation of USMNT CMs was not exactly small with Edu @ 6 ft, J. Jones @ 6ft, Bradley @ 6’1″, Beckerman @ 5’10” and Holden @ 5’10”. Nor would I have considered them soft players when they were in their prime. They became soft towards the end when they should have been phased out but were kept around due to the lack of talent in the lost generation.
Adams @ 5’9″, Musah @ 5’10” Luca @ 5’10” and McKennie @ 6 ft. may have more raw talent even if they aren’t into their prime yet, but are a little less dominant physically. If Tessmann can add a bit of size and grit to the current contingent of CMs I’d feel a bit better about matching up against some likely opponents.
Lost In Space
” The previous generation of USMNT CMs was not exactly small with Edu @ 6 ft, J. Jones @ 6ft, Bradley @ 6’1″, Beckerman @ 5’10” and Holden @ 5’10”. Nor would I have considered them soft players when they were in their prime. They became soft towards the end when they should have been phased out but were kept around due to the lack of talent in the lost generation.”
Like many American fans you seem obsessed with physical size. This is ironic because one reason soccer is so popular worldwide is that it is possible to be a great success in the game regardless of how big or small you are. Just compare Messi and Cristiano, two physically polar opposites but both all time greats.
When I say soft, I’m talking about an attitude, a way of approaching the game. On the present roster the only guys I see with that attitude are Weston, Acosta, Miazga and Yedlin. They will take on anyone who is going after one of our guys without a second thought. And not be nice about it. Without at least one of those guys on the field our guys are softies and can be bullied.
Jermaine Jones was the best USMNT hard man ever. And that is considering guys like Tom Dooley, Chris Armas, and Pablo Mastroeni. JJ convinced the opposition that he was dangerous and a little crazy while actually being very skilled and calculating. In a friendly with Brazil, Marcelo was doing all kinds of shit with our guys trying to humiliate them. JJ took Neymar out of bounds with a slide tackle that was beautifully executed and did not injure Neymar. But it did carry Neymar out of bounds and could have seriously injured him. JJ sent a message with that and Marcelo stopped fucking around. Even in a friendly.
Far and away our best enforcer ever. The USMNT still misses the effect he had on his team.
Michael Bradley was a putz. He was bald and could look mean but he couldn’t tackle and did not scare anyone. He did a credible job circulating the ball and maintaining some order in the midfield but once the talent level around him lessened he was exposed.
Stu Holden had about 10 seconds playing for the USMNT before injury ruined him. Had he not gotten hurt there is every reason to think Stu, a very special player, would have cut severely into Michael Bradley’s playing time.
Mo Edu had a few nice games in the 2010 World Cup but mostly was injured. He’s another player who would have severely cut Michael’s PT had he been healthy. But he wasn’t.
Beckerman was not particularly physical, nor was he an “enforcer” per se, but he was one of our all-time great dirty players. He knew just how far he could push it and excelled at irritating his man and disrupting the opposition’s flow. Getting into their heads. He’s another one, who like Jones, has not been replaced. I loved the guy.
“Adams @ 5’9″, Musah @ 5’10” Luca @ 5’10” and McKennie @ 6 ft. may have more raw talent even if they aren’t into their prime yet but are a little less dominant physically. If Tessmann can add a bit of size and grit to the current contingent of CMs I’d feel a bit better about matching up against some likely opponents.”
I’ve already mentioned Weston. Tyler is not soft but he also isn’t an enforcer. It is not true that being a big strong guy like Tessmann is all it takes.
You need to know how to do it.
Tessmann, Luca and Yunus are all still pretty new to this so we’ll see how they develop.
JJ did not just throw his weight around. You do that and you will get red carded. JJ knew how to get into the heads of the enemy, how to foul them without getting caught, how to scare them into thinking he might actually injure them without actually doing it.
He was our Mark Van Bommel a notorious psycho who was also a very skilled player.
If you’re not familiar with him:
“won the Dutch Eredivisie with PSV, Spanish La Liga with Barcelona, German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and Italian Serie A with Milan. Between 2000 and 2011, he won eight national championship titles in four competitions: four with PSV, two with Bayern, one with Barcelona and one with Milan. Van Bommel won the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League with Barcelona and was Bayern’s first foreign captain. At Bayern, he led the team to two Bundesliga titles, and finished runner-up in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final.
From 2000 to 2012, Van Bommel was part of the Netherlands team and earned 79 caps. He was part of the teams that went to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, finished runner-up at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and went to UEFA Euro 2012.”
People were afraid of him.
No one is really afraid of our guys.
I hope this move happens for Tesserman. Dont get why he was not called up for GC. Reggie Cannon is another FC Dallas product I need a club update on. Boatvista not paying him is crazy and sad people gave families they have to pay for stuff for.
Tessmann was reportedly getting married this summer….therefore wasn’t at the GC. The team could have really used him & the Tillman brothers.
Cannon is w/out a club at the moment having terminated his Boatvista contract for unpaid wages.
He gave an interview I think with Morning Footy (props to Ives day job the Golazo Network on Paramount+) during GC and said a deal was close but obviously that hasn’t materialized yet. Could be one of those the club knows player A is going to leave but player A is waiting on a guy at another club to move so he can take his spot. So until those moves happen they can’t sign Reggie.
Cannon gave an interview to be clear.
Could be a good move. Regardless he will be a big part of the Olympic team.
if it sounds too good to be true…..
Kind of seems that way. They are thin at true DM so I could see them trying to bring in a young Tessmann while he’s still cheap under 5 million and see if they can develop him (Kamada is AM). He’s not going to be a regular starter in all likelihood. If this was Fabrizio Romano I’d be likely to believe but it seems a stretch.
agree, this source seems something we shouldn’t take serious.
cylo, it’s not even so much it has to be fake as even if it was true he’d probably sit.