Although he may not be ready to start, let alone play the full 90 minutes yet, Tottenham Hotspur right winger Mohammed Kudus is expected to return from his injury next weekend when Spurs return from their international break to take on Sunderland.
Every single game is crucial for Spurs with just a point separating them from West Ham Untied in the Premier League relegation fight, and out of all people, Kudus will not want to be sent packing to the EFL Championship after just leaving the futility of the Hammers to try and help Spurs maintain European football.
While Europe is out of the window now, Spurs can build something special under Roberto De Zerbi, with Kudus as a center piece player. Even under the horrendous and highly defensive Thomas Frank, Kudus was a massive bright spot and the team's best player, and anyone doubting his merits only needs to look at this mind blowing stat that highlights just how tremendous Kudus is compared to his Premier League peers.
Mohammed Kudus is elite
According to data from WhoScored, despite missing months with injury, Mohammed Kudus remains fourth in the Premier League in successful dribbles completed with 52. Only Manchester City star Jeremy Doku, Brighton gem Yankuba Minteh, and one time Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Iliman Ndiaye of Everton have more. And all of these players have appeared in at least three more games than Kudus, with Ndiaye playing six more games with just three more dribbles completed per game.
Now, most Tottenham fans knew that Kudus was playing amazing football on the wing, but there were likely several fans who did not realize just how dominant Kudus was at beating defenders and carrying possession.
Spurs have missed Kudus badly. Mathys Tel isn't a progressive profile the same way Kudus is, and he's still raw. Kudus is growing, too, at the age of 25, but he is already one of the elite Premier League wingers, and you could sincerely argue that with a better coach and environment, he could prove to be the best out and out winger in the entire English top flight.
A stat like this doesn't happen by accident. Tottenham may have missed out on Antoine Semenyo or any other winger signings in the winter transfer window, but the boost Kudus will provide Spurs, especially with De Zerbi in the building, is something worth cheering for in the final seven games of the season.