Renato Tapia heads into the new season eager to impress after a disappointing first six months with Feyenoord.
- By Michael Bell
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FC Twente signed the Peruvian as an eighteen-year-old from Esther Grande in his homeland and after playing one season in the Eerste Divisie with Jong Twente he was promoted to the first team for the 2014/15 season.
A Malleolar injury delayed Tapia’s first season in the Eredivisie, but when he returned in November he became a regular in Enschede, appearing in 16 of the clubs last 21 ties, including nine full games. At the start of last season Twente struggled, and Tapia found himself dropped to the bench, but he played his way back into Rene Hake’s side and his performances persuaded Feyenoord to shell out around €2.4 million to sign the 20-year-old in January.
As soon as he was available Tapia was inserted straight into the Feyenoord XI for a tie with rivals Ajax, but the Peruvian failed to impress and only played a further 73 minutes for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side as he found himself dropped to the bench and U21 squad.
Tapia has 14 caps for the Peruvian national team since making his debut in 2015 and he was part of the squad for this summer’s Copa America. Tapia was a regular throughout the tournament and scored in the penalty shoot-out defeat to Colombia.
Style of play
Tapia is a versatile midfielder who can play in front of the defence, in the centre and even as a number ten or on the wings. Big and strong, Tapia is a tough tackler and is difficult to brush off the ball when dribbling. Tapia has a good long shot, but needs to work on his passing, which can be erratic.
What can we expect from Tapia this season
Big things were expected from Tapia when he joined Feyenoord in January, but it hasn’t worked out so far for the Peruvian, who’s talent is undoubted. Working his way back into the Feyenoord midfield will be his number one priority but that will not be easy after Tonny Vilhena decided to stay with the club.