Tanner Tessmann Scout Report At Olympique Lyonnais 2024/2025: The Future USMNT Captain – Player Analysis

Tanner Tessmann is a very interesting profile, a right-footed 6/8, and possibly the best midfielder from the United States.

He joined Olympique Lyon from Venezia on August 24, 2024, spending the past season in France.

Before he moved to Venezia, he was still playing in the MLS with FC Dallas, and it’s no surprise that a team like Lyon picked him up.

Other top teams like Inter Milan and Bayern Munich were monitoring the player when he was at Venezia.

Now, if any team wants him, they will have to pay an expensive fee.

The 23-year-old, who stands at 188cm and has a current market value of €6m, has the potential to start for a UEFA Champions League-level team.

In this player analysis, we will examine his role at Olympique Lyon, his potential as a player, what clubs he can best fit and elevate his career, and whether he’s the right man to captain the USMNT in the future.

Who Is Tanner Tessmann?

Tessmann is a right-footed 6/8—strong, fast, and with a wide passing range.

He’s a creative mind moving into the attacking phase of the field and a physical presence in the defensive half.

His intelligence and ability as a technician in the 6 role is outstanding.

Similarly to Lucas Bartlet, Tessmann style of play doesn’t shy away from playing long passes over the opponent’s defensive line or switching the ball across play.

He is also comfortable with both feet in possession.

A very intelligent player, he doesn’t rush any passes and takes his time to pick the perfect pass.

He also beats the press with his physical presence, which is similar to how Paul Pogba played during his first stint at Juventus.

One thing that worries me about his defensive abilities is his awareness of his surroundings during the transition.

His defending of space can at times be inconsistent, but he is more defensively aware when the game is at a settled state.

I would say he’s quite poor in the air when it comes to his duels.

A player with his build and profile should show more physical presence in the air, which he lacks.

Tessmann is still a strong presence on the floor, helping the defensive line and midfield.

He has played 35 matches this season but only 1840 minutes, which is roughly 50 minutes a match.

More consistent playing time would help his statistical data, like the radar map below.

Tanner Tessmann Radar Map

Tanner Tessmann’s stats profile is intriguing.

He ranks in the 74th percentile for touches in the opponent’s box and in the 83rd percentile for defensive duels won, suggesting a two-way profile.

Despite being labelled a defensive midfielder, Tessmann is very involved in build-up, sitting in the 74th percentile for received passes per 90.

His 75th percentile in shots per 90 shows a 6 who isn’t afraid to get forward and take chances.

There’s room to grow, though.

His aerial duels per 90 (28.7 percentile) is low for a player with his size, and his pass volume isn’t particularly high either, which might be due to limited minutes this season.

Tanner Tessmann As A 6

Movement And Positioning

Tanner Tessmann Movement pic.twitter.com/3pe0kUfD3z

— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) May 18, 2025

Tanner Tessmann, as a 6, is still eager to drive forward and help his team in transition.

This reminds me of Declan Rice, who loves to get forward when he gets the chance, even after playing as the deep-lying playmaker.

He receives the ball as the 6, plays it forward, but continues his run all the way forward and drags an opponent completely out of position with him.

Even if he doesn’t receive the ball, he knows he’s creating a space behind him for his teammate to exploit.

This movement is very intelligent.

Tanner Tessmann Movement And Positioning pic.twitter.com/Qsnl7qBA8V

— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) May 18, 2025

We have another example of how he takes the ball from the 6 area and helps progress the team forward.

He’s very fast and direct, trying to take the team from a phase of consolidation to fast-paced attacking intent.

He also shows how technical he is on the ball, keeping it close to him around many players, and his intelligence—he doesn’t force the pass forward.

He looked for the opportunity but chose against it and took his time to release and switch the play.

Tanner Tessmann As An 8

Tanner Tessmann Movement And Positioning pic.twitter.com/5AaPmEf8xf

— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) May 18, 2025

When we see him higher up near the edge of the box, we can see what he has to offer more as an 8, and that’s quick touches, fast thinking, knowing where he wants to receive the ball and exactly who he wants to release it to.

At first, he releases the ball at the correct time—he doesn’t rush the sequence.

He positions himself perfectly again in the half-space and releases the ball swiftly into his teammate’s feet, who has a shot on goal.

His positioning as a 6 and 8 is extraordinary.

He’s always finding the right pockets to sit in and knows his surroundings; he turns right away with intent.

Tanner Tessmann Movement And Positioning pic.twitter.com/RUakko3etN

— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) May 18, 2025

Plays the ball into space, makes a run forward to be a viable option, wins the ball after the failed shot attempt, and stays connected with the play the entire time.

He isn’t the midfielder who will play the pass and start walking or stand still; he wants to be connected with the play and does a great job in holding possession for his team after the quick counter-attack that he led.

Tanner Tessmann Defensive Profile

Tanner Tessmann Defensive Duel pic.twitter.com/J5UFL3z0tm

— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) May 18, 2025

Part of the reason he’s used more as a 6 is his physical frame.

Due to his long legs, winning duels is a part of his profile.

He’s not afraid to step into a challenge and wants to win the counter-press for his team.

We see his effort above in getting the ball back quickly when the team loses possession.

This season, he’s averaging 1.23 interceptions per 90 minutes, 1.85 clearances, 1.90 tackles, and 1.03 blocks.

Unfortunately, his aerial duel win rate isn’t the best, especially for his build.

Even last year, he was averaging just shy of a 50% win rate, which has dipped this season.

Tanner Tessmann Vs Declan Rice Radar Maps 2024/2025

Declan Rice is similar to Tanner Tessmann in that they both are primarily number 6s but have the freedom to play higher up the field in that 8 role.

Arsenal even switches their formation when needed and plays him as a regular 8 with someone like Thomas Partey, who takes the 6 role more.

The point is that they are both very similar players in not only their game intelligence and physical frames but also their overall player profiles, which we can see a little bit of in the comparison scatter plot below.

They rank highly and lowly in similar aspects.

Tessmann has had limited minutes this season, so his full potential on the scatter plot or radar map isn’t there yet.

However, if given more minutes, you can closely examine the full profile next season.

Tanner Tessmann Future At USMNT

As for his future at the USA Men’s National Team, he started the first game and was on the bench for the second one when they played back in March for the CONCACAF Nations League.

He can and will certainly play a bigger role for the World Cup in 2026, where they look to host the competition.

Another year at the top light of football, and he can grow into the most important player for the national team and a possible team captain in the future if he can shine like he does at the club stage.

Tanner Tessmann Future At The Club Level

At the club level, his move to Olympique Lyon from Venezia, which was in Serie B, is still a huge step for him.

He still needs to gain consistent minutes in France, and after another year or two, he can certainly be ready for a club-level team.

Some teams that could use a player of his profile would be Inter Milan, who like to have very vertical midfielders in their squad.

With his Italy experience, he would blend in just fine.

Bayern Munich, which is also looking at him, would be a great fit.

He can play alongside Joshua Kimmich and have a dual midfield relationship that can dictate games very well.

Somewhere, I think he can fit in amazingly.

He would be at Arsenal if they wanted to replace Thomas Partey; it’s essentially having two Declan Rices on your team.

What more could you then ask for?

Conclusion

Overall, he is a very well-rounded midfielder.

He is intent on going forward with the ball and makes the most of every pass he can.

A player who can certainly be one of the best midfielders in Europe with a few more years of development, and in my opinion, the future captain of the USMNT national team.