Spurs declared their signing of (then) 19-year-old French winger, Wilson Odobert, from relegated side Burnley on August 19th, 2024, in a deal rumoured to be around £30 million pounds, including add-ons.
A player with a lot of buzz around his name, and his future, decided to dedicate it to Tottenham Hotspur. Fans were ecstatic – he was exactly the player they’d been waiting for.
He made his Premier League debut for Spurs on August 24th, 2024, in a dominant 4-0 victory over Everton, and put in an impressive debut performance in front of the fans.
Unfortunately for Odobert, he suffered a significant hamstring injury during a Carabao Cup clash against Coventry in September – which kept him out of action between mid-September and early-February 2025 – only featuring once in between that time, a two-minute substitute appearance against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. He ended up having surgery in mid-November 2024 to address the issue, with hopes it would get him back on the pitch sooner.
The versatile forward has been given more minutes as of late, with Postecoglou rotating Odobert and Brennan Johnson – especially with important upcoming games. This season, despite large periods of absence, Odobert has managed three goals in 18 appearances for the Lilywhites – and shown fans his potential on the big stage.
The right-wing position this season has been typically occupied by Brennan Johnson, who has had an impressive campaign - statistically his best ever. Fan-favourite, Dejan Kulusevski, has also played out on the right - creating lots of competition for Odobert.
With Johnson putting in big numbers, 17 goals and four this season, and Kulusevski with ten goals and ten assists in 48 apps – Odobert had big shoes to fill coming back to full fitness and gaining a spot in Postecoglou’s starting XI. He’s yet to truly make his mark, but next season looks ever promising for the young Frenchman.
Stats show unique qualities
Wilson Odobert offers a very different player profile than his Spurs counterparts on the wing: Johnson is a positional expert - constantly finding himself in the right place at precisely the right moment. Kulusevski, on the other hand, is a natural creator, drifting inward from the wing to link play and drive progression through the middle.
Both bring exceptional qualities to the pitch, but they share one crucial shortcoming for a traditional winger: the ability and instinct to take on and beat their man one-on-one.
With a fully fit season hopefully ahead of him, Odobert looks like he could establish himself as a key part of the future squad.
This season looking at the Premier League only, Wilson Odobert has played only 627 minutes, and still managed 12 successful dribbles. Compare this to Johnson, who has played 2086 Premier League minutes - has managed only seven more, with 19.
With these statistics taken into consideration, Odobert manages 1.72 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, whilst Johnson manages 0.82 - proving that with time, Odobert will and can be an attacking force to be reckoned with.
Dejan Kulusevski has had the most impressive statistics however. With 38 Premier League chances created, 65 chances created and 12 successful crosses, he has been one of Spurs' most crucial and creative players, especially pre-injury. These statistics also suggest that he is most formidable in the centre - occupying a number ten role - meaning less competition for Odobert on the wing.
Additionally, last season for Burnley, Odobert put up mental statistics. For a side that finished 19th and relegated, Odobert managed 53 successful dribbles. 53. With a successful dribbling percentage of 52%. Insane numbers for a teenager in the Premier League. He also created 31 chances, 11 successful crosses, and 104 touches in the oppositions box last season.
These numbers exist. Odobert is more than capable of putting up these numbers for Spurs. His hamstring injury definitely halted his progression, especially at such a young age - but there is no doubt, and heaps of hope that fans will be able to see a thriving Wilson Odobert next season.
Truly a special talent with a promising future at Tottenham with the opportunity to fill a gap that's been missing for many years - a real threat down the right wing.