Who is Benjamin Cabango? The Swansea defender linked with Leverkusen and Man City

Robin Bairner

Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
3 min read

Who is Benjamin Cabango? The Swansea defender linked with Leverkusen and Man City — © ProShots

The Championship is proving to be fertile ground for the raising of young British talent, and Swansea’s Ben Cabango is just one of a number of promising players that some of Europe’s finest clubs are keeping tabs on.

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Already a twice-capped Wales international, the 20-year-old Cabango has been a regular in Swansea’s first-team squad since impressing during a loan spell with The New Saints.

Interest in him has come from home and abroad, with the Welsh-Angolan defender seemingly destined for great things.

What position does Ben Cabango play in?

Cabango is a right-footed centre-back, whose attributes lend him winning the ball but also using it effectively when in possession.

He is particularly capable in the air and strong at defending set pieces, which seems to contrast with his gifted nature in possession. While he could tidy up some of his short passing, he is excellent in middle- to long-range.

“He’s a bit of a throwback as a centre-half,” Swansea manager Steve Cooper said of his defender after he headed the winning goal against Coventry City in February 2021. “Quite rightly, people will write about the goal, but he played really well tonight and he’s having a really good season for us.”

Indeed, it was his fourth league goal of the season, underlining the impressive threat he commands in the opposing box.

His leadership abilities are also notably: he has captained Swansea at every age group from Under-14s all the way to U23.

© ProShots - Ben Cabango has been described as a “throwback centre-half” by manager Steve Cooper

What clubs are interested in Ben Cabango?

Bundesliga sides keeping tabs on UK-based players is no longer a novelty, and Cabango has been linked with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg in the past.

It has also been suggested that his style would suit Manchester City.

Indeed, with Brexit set to prevent top Premier League clubs from picking up young talent from abroad easily, it would be no surprise to see some other club’s from the top flight taking a look at the youngster.