It’s been an unforgiving season for Tottenham Hotspur this year.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have been dismal in the Premier League, losing more games than they’ve won, and were dumped out of both the FA Cup and League Cup within the space of five days earlier this month.
Now, while their form has been dire for much of the campaign, they have had to deal with an incredible number of injuries to players all over the pitch.
Games
25
8
5
2
Wins
9
5
4
1
Draws
3
2
0
0
Losses
13
1
1
1
Goals For
49
17
9
4
Goals Against
37
9
9
2
Moreover, while the results would suggest otherwise, one player has stepped up a level this year and is now winning comparisons to another Premier League star who is worth a king’s ransom.
Spurs' top performers compared to last season
While the player in question has taken a massive step forward this season, the same cannot be said for Spurs’ top goalscorer from last year: Son Heung-min.
Despite not always being as dynamic as he was in prior years, the South Korean superstar still managed to rack up a sensational tally of 17 goals and ten assists in 36 appearances, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games.
This season, the 32-year-old has still been somewhat effective in front of goal – perhaps more than people have given him credit for – but his haul of ten goals and eight assists in 34 appearances is still some way off what he managed in 23/24.
Likewise, Richarlison, who managed to produce 12 goals and four assists last term, which made him the club’s second-top scorer, hasn’t been able to get anywhere near that, although a significant reason for that has been his injuries.
That said, he has still made 14 appearances so far, in which he’s only been able to score three goals and provide one assist for Postecoglou and Co.
So, it would be fair to say that some of the club’s best players just haven’t stepped up this season, well, except for one who has been compared to another star worth an incredible amount of money.
The £116m Spurs star in the making
The likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence have all stepped up to the plate for Spurs this season and look like they could be core members of the first team for years to come.
Still, when it comes to the established stars in the squad who have excelled this season, it’s impossible to look past Dejan Kulusevski.
The Swedish international has played out wide and in the middle of the park this year, and while there is an argument to be made that his performances have tailed off somewhat in recent weeks, his form for the season as a whole has been brilliant.
For example, in 40 appearances, the “world-class” dynamo, as dubbed by respected talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored nine goals and provided ten assists.
That means that, despite constantly changing positions, the 24-year-old ace has averaged a goal involvement every 2.1 games and is also the most productive player in the squad.
On top of this, he has also been likened to Martin Odegaard by FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Norwegian is the fourth most similar midfielder to the Swedish dynamo.
The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, assists, crosses into the final third and more, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.44
0.33
Assists
0.18
0.20
Shots on Target
0.66
0.46
Crosses into the Final Third
0.26
0.33
Aerial Duels Won
0.40
0.39
Now, Spurs fans may not like these comparisons to the captain of their fiercest rivals, especially not when he’s been somewhat out of form this season, but the positive is that it does bode well for Kulusevski’s future valuation as, according to Football Transfers, the Gunners’ number eight is currently worth up to €140m which is about £116m.
Ultimately, Tottenham and a number of their star players might not be having the best of seasons, but in Kulusevski, it looks like the club have a potential superstar who could keep getting better for years to come.
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