After a dramatic international break, headlined by the removal of long-time chairman Daniel Levy, it shouldn’t be forgotten that two exciting attacking players are in line to make their Tottenham Hotspur debuts this weekend.
Xavi Simons, who joined Spurs for €60million (£51.8m; $70m), was unveiled at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the 1-0 defeat against Bournemouth on August 30. In the absence of James Maddison, who will miss most, if not all, of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in pre-season, and Dejan Kulusevski, whose omission from the Champions League squad indicates he is not close to returning from a knee injury, the 22-year-old Simons has the chance to make the No 10 position his own.
For fellow new boy Randal Kolo Muani, 26, who joined Spurs on deadline day on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain, there are more probing questions about where he will fit in.
Like Simons, who has played on either wing and as an auxiliary left-sided ‘No 10’ at different clubs in his career, Kolo Muani is highly versatile — a trait that head coach Thomas Frank values.
“He’s a good age, in the prime of his career, has good qualities that will suit both us and the Premier League, and gives us a different option in the final third, being able to play out wide and through the middle,” Frank told the club website.
Tottenham’s pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho and their long-standing interest in other Premier League forwards, such as Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, indicate Frank had identified the left wing as an area requiring improvement, implying Kolo Muani will play a portion of his minutes from that position.
However, he has barely featured there in his career, playing as a nominal left-winger just 12 times. He did score five goals from those games, an impressive return given it is not his natural position, and has also deputised from the right 22 times — but Kolo Muani is a striker by trade. His best season came as a centre-forward in 2022-23, when he scored 15 goals and assisted 11 more in 32 league appearances for German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, before securing a move to PSG.
But after falling out of favour under Luis Enrique, he rejuvenated his career at Juventus during the second half of last season. In Turin, he competed with Dusan Vlahovic for the striker’s spot, scoring eight times in 16 Serie A matches, as well as two goals in three appearances at the Club World Cup.
A map of his touches over his last six games demonstrates that Kolo Muani is not a conventional striker, perhaps feeding into the view that he could be equally capable from the wing as from central areas.
His willingness to receive the ball across the front line stands out, with his displays against Lazio, Al Ain and Wydad highlighting his tendency to drift left, while he offered an outlet from the right in the 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid in the Club World Cup round of 16.
He is dangerous from those wide areas, too. Over the last year, Kolo Muani ranks in the 90th percentile or higher per 90 minutes for touches (6.29), successful take-ons (1.56) and progressive passes recorded (7.96) when compared to forwards in the top five European leagues, the Champions League and the Europa League.
From a data perspective, it is in these more creative areas where Kolo Muani stands out among his peers, which bodes well for his potential to combine with Dominic Solanke or Richarlison.
Here’s an example, taken from France’s 3-2 win against Chile in March 2024, of Kolo Muani dribbling out of a tight area from the right wing, taking on his man before squaring for former team-mate Olivier Giroud to tap in from close range.
Or this remarkable assist for Francisco Conceicao to grab a late winner against Inter.
While Solanke and Richarlison have elite qualities, neither is at their best dribbling at opposition players and creating for others — and it is in this area where Kolo Muani appears to bring something new to Tottenham’s forward line. Whether that is playing as a lone striker in Frank’s favoured 4-2-3-1, as part of a duo in the 3-5-2 system implemented in the European Super Cup against his parent club, or as a wide player, Kolo Muani brings a wide range of skills to the Spurs attack.
But despite his trickery and versatility, Kolo Muani is not just a creator. His well-rounded profile extends to more traditional aspects of the striker role, with the France international extremely capable in the air. As well as being 6ft 1in (187cm) and possessing an incredible leap, Kolo Muani also has good timing in the air and can score using his head in a variety of ways.
Take this example from last year’s 2-1 win against Belgium, where Kolo Muani runs across his man to meet a cross from wide with a well-directed header.
Evidently, Kolo Muani has the ingredients to be an effective forward for Spurs wherever he plays. He showed glimpses of his talent in Paris, but at times could float in and out of games when PSG adopted a more patient approach. An impressive period at Juventus will have helped rebuild his confidence, and with Spurs aiming to compete in the Premier League and the Champions League, Kolo Muani will have plenty of opportunities to build rhythm.
If he is afforded regular game time, Kolo Muani’s wide range of qualities could become essential to Frank’s team. Whether he’s playing in his “strongest position” or not might not really matter.
(Graphic: Thom Harris)
(Top photo: Stuart Franklin – FIFA via Getty Images)