FootballFanCast.com

£120k-per-week Tottenham ace could make out-of-window move to league giants

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

A high-earning member of the Tottenham squad could make an out-of-window move to a big-name club in their country, so Ange Postecoglou may now see further changes to his team despite the UK transfer window shutting last Friday.

Spurs preparing for north London derby clash against Arsenal

Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United, and first loss of the new Premier League campaign, must be swiftly put to bed by Postecoglou, his coaching staff and the Lilywhites squad with a blockbuster north London derby clash against Arsenal on the horizon.

Alexander Isak's late winner downed Tottenham at St. James' Park, an unhappy stomping ground in recent years, which cancelled out an equaliser through Dan Burn's own goal.

Despite tasting defeat in the North East, Postecoglou still found the positives, namely how his Spurs side nullified a lot of Newcastle's threat but couldn't quite capitalise on their control for long periods.

"Very similar I guess to our first away game when we controlled it for the most part, nullified most of the threats that Newcastle have," said Postecoglou on Tottenham's 2-1 loss to Newcastle.

"t's obviously a difficult opponent here at home. The crowd create a pretty strong atmosphere for the home side, little things go their way but I thought for the most part we handled that really well. Then we gained the ascendancy in the game and we just needed to kill it off and we didn't and a disappointing second goal. I thought we switched off a little bit but the game should have been well over by then. So, another sore one unfortunately where we haven't got the rewards for our play, but ultimately it's three strong performances from the first three games. The results don't reflect it in that way."

Tottenham will be hoping to have one of Richarlison or summer signing Dominic Solanke back in time for Arsenal, as it is arguable that the north Londoners really missed a striker's presence up front.

Mikel Arteta's side, while likely to be competing for the Premier League title with Man City, are not invincible themselves - as Brighton showed during their 1-1 draw at the Emirates last weekend. Arsenal will also be without both star midfielder Declan Rice and summer arrival Mikel Merino, with Arteta looking pretty short in midfield.

As Postecoglou prepares to host Arsenal right after the international break, there is still some transfer activity going on in the background, and technical director Johan Lange has time to orchestrate more deals.

Tottenham can dip into the free agent market until the Premier League's squad submission deadline on September 14, and it is believed that Turkey international attacker Yusuf Yazici has been offered to Spurs on a Bosman deal after leaving Lille in June.

Meanwhile, the Greek and Turkish windows are still open until the end of next week, so an opportunity could arise for out-of-favour left-back Sergio Reguilon to leave.

Reguilon could make loan move from Tottenham to Fenerbahce

According to Turkish news outlet Fanatik, Fenerbahçe want to sign Reguilon on loan from Spurs, where ex-boss Jose Mourinho is personally keen on taking him.

The Süper Lig giants are aiming to make a statement signing, akin to that of their rivals Galatasaray sealing a move for Victor Osimhen, and Fanatik suggest Reguilon could be that player.

The £120,000-per-week defender was heavily linked with a summer exit which didn't materialise, but Mourinho is now looking to strike a reunion with Reguilon, who he originally brought to Tottenham from Real Madrid in 2020.

Tottenham offered Europa League's 2021 top goalscorer on free transfer

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Tottenham Hotspur have been approached by representatives over signing a free agent attacker who featured for his country at Euro 2024, and who also finished the 2020/2021 campaign as the Europa League's top goalscorer.

Spurs preparing for all-important Arsenal clash after international break

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou got his first defeat of the new Premier League season out of the way early, having fell to a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United at St. James' Park last Sunday.

Alexander Isak's winner in the 78th minute was all that split the two teams, with Dan Burn's own goal cancelling out Harvey Barnes' opener beforehand and giving the Lilywhites brief hope they could take a result away from where has been an unhappy stomping ground for Spurs in recent years.

However, Isak ensured it wasn't to be, and Postecoglou now turns his attention to one of Tottenham's biggest matches of the season. The north Londoners take on Arsenal at home in their first match after the international break, and it is a clash which they will be desperate to win.

Speaking to the press after Spurs' defeat in the North East, Postecoglou still praised Tottenham's performance against Newcastle, insisting their opening three performances of the new season have been encouraging.

"Yeah, obviously, very similar I guess to our first away game when we controlled it for the most part, nullified most of the threats that Newcastle have," said Postecoglou.

"It's obviously a difficult opponent here at home. The crowd create a pretty strong atmosphere for the home side, little things go their way but I thought for the most part we handled that really well. Then we gained the ascendancy in the game and we just needed to kill it off and we didn't and a disappointing second goal. I thought we switched off a little bit but the game should have been well over by then. So, another sore one unfortunately where we haven't got the rewards for our play, but ultimately it's three strong performances from the first three games. The results don't reflect it in that way."

It's set to be a long and interesting campaign at N17, especially considering their involvement in the new Europa League format, and tough tests like Arsenal soon await.

Tottenham reportedly wanted to strengthen in midfield before the summer transfer window closed, and to reinforce Postecoglou's squad further ahead of a congested fixture calendar.

With the UK window shut, chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange can only dip into the free agent market if they wish to make further additions, but they'll have to do so before September 14, which is the Premier League's full squad submission deadline.

Tottenham offered chance to sign free agent Yusuf Yazici

According to HITC, the club have now been contacted over the availability of former Lille star and 45-cap Turkey international Yusuf Yazici.

The 27-year-old, who finished the 2020/2021 season as the Europa League's top goalscorer, was also called up to represent Turkey at the Euros this summer. However, that wasn't enough to convince Lille to offer him a new deal, and the attacking midfielder left the Ligue 1 side after six years in June.

Their loss could be Postecoglou's gain, though, as it is believed Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign Yazici on a free transfer, as have other English top flight clubs.

The Turk also helped to spearhead Lille to an unlikely Ligue 1 title in 2021, boasting a career total of 64 goals and 39 assists in all competitions across spells at Lille, Trabzonspor and CSKA Moscow.

Spurs flop was sold by Conte in 2022, now he's outscoring Solanke

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Tottenham Hotspur have endured a mixed start to the Premier League this season, with a draw away to Leicester City, a win at home to Everton and a loss away to Newcastle United.

Ange Postecoglou's side have played some entertaining football so far, and in both away games, they created enough chances to pick up all six points, but as it did last season, a lack of finishing ability cost them.

That said, the club's new £65m striker, Dominic Solanke, has missed the last two matches through injury, so perhaps the team's lack of cutting edge shouldn't be massively surprising.

After all, the former Bournemouth star was on fire last year and will surely score a mountain of goals in this Lilywhites set-up, although he has been outscored by a former Spurs flop over the last couple of campaigns.

Solanke's recent record

So, after ending last season as only the seventh-highest scoring team in the league, Tottenham decided to go out and splash the cash on Solanke this summer, with the hope that he'll be the striker to help turn the endless chances created by Postecoglou's system into a whole heap of goals, and based off last season, they might be right.

For example, in his 42 appearances for Bournemouth, the Englishman scored 21 goals and provided four assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 1.68 games for the Cherries. This impressive rate of return saw him finish joint-fourth in the Premier League's top goalscorers list, alongside Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins.

However, while he was incredible last season, he was simply okay the campaign prior, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists in 35 appearances for the South Coast club, equating to a slightly less impressive - for a striker - average of a goal involvement every 2.5 games.

Postecoglou and Co will be hoping that they get the Solanke of last season and not the one before that this year, although when you combine both campaigns, the former Liverpool ace has been outscored by a former Spurs flop who left the club a couple of years ago.

Bergwijn's recent record

Yes, the player in question is Dutch attacker Steven Bergwijn, who joined Spurs from Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven in January 2020 for a fee in the region of £25m.

The rapid dynamo spent two and a half years in North London, in which he made 83 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists, but he could never cement himself in the starting lineup under Antonio Conte, so he returned to the Netherlands in summer 2022, joining Ajax for about £26m.

In the two campaigns since, the 35-capped international has been in scintillating form. For example, in 22/23, he scored 16 goals and provided six assists in 45 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.04 games.

He then reached another level last year, and in just 31 matches, he managed to score 13 goals and provide five assists, meaning he maintained a seriously impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games.

This run of form led to an offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, and earlier this week, it was confirmed that he had moved to the uber-rich Middle Eastern league, much to the disdain of Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman.

In the end, it looks like Bergwijn's exit from Tottenham worked out for all parties, although with the Dutchman plying his trade in an even weaker league this season, he'll probably end up outscoring Solanke for another year.

Spurs struck gold on "special" signing worth millions more than Sterling

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

The transfer window finally came to a close on Friday night, and it would be fair to say that Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a successful summer of business.

Ange Postecoglou's squad has been made much more robust with the additions of Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert and Archie Gray, and while some fans may have been hoping for a last-minute deal, there simply wasn't the need for one.

The Lilywhites' fierce rivals Arsenal, on the other hand, were forced to engage in some last-minute panic buying as they secured the services of Raheem Sterling on a season-long loan following a summer of constant links to attacking talent.

The former Manchester City ace is a Premier League veteran at this point and will likely be a useful player for the Gunners, but Spurs fans can rest easy in the knowledge that they already have a winger who's worth substantially more than the Englishman.

Raheem Sterling's valuation in 2024

Sterling completed his season-long loan move to Arsenal on deadline day last week, and while the Gunners didn't pay a fee for the Chelsea ace, we know that his current valuation is around €46m thanks to Football Transfers, which converts to about £39m.

While this is still a reasonably impressive valuation, it's significantly lower than it was just over a year ago, when Football Transfers priced the 29-year-old at around €71m, which is about £60m.

The reason for this collapse in the player's valuation is likely two-fold. The first reason is that, after starring in a brilliant City team for so many years and racking up an incredible haul of 204 goals and assists in just 339 games, the Kingston-born dynamo has struggled to have the same level of impact at Stamford Bridge, where he has racked up 31 goals and assists in 81 appearances.

This brings us to the second potential reason his price has fallen so dramatically: the Blues were clearly trying to get rid of him over the last few weeks. After all, if a team clearly no longer wants their own player, why would said player's valuation increase?

In all, while the 82-capped international will probably be able to contribute at the Emirates, he's not the player he once was, and Spurs already have a winger who is worth millions more than him.

Dejan Kulusevski's valuation in 2024

Yes, the player in question is Swedish superstar Dejan Kulusevski, who joined the North Londoners on an initial 18-month loan deal in January 2022 under former managing director Fabio Paratici.

The talented winger's move was made permanent for around £26m in June 2023, although according to Football Transfers, he is currently worth around €57m, which converts to about £48m, or £9m more than Sterling's new valuation.

Now, that might seem like a lot of money for a player who has been somewhat inconsistent during his time in North London, but when the former Juventus ace is at his best, he is an incredible asset to have in the team.

For example, in his 99 appearances for the Lilywhites, the "special player", as described by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir, has scored 15 goals and provided 20 assists, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.82 games for the club, which is more impressive when taking into account the football played under former manager Antonio Conte.

That said, this is set to be a big season for the 24-year-old, as he's now at the age in which he needs to nail down a regular starting spot in the team, and given his raw ability, there is no reason why he couldn't do that.

Ultimately, while Sterling is the winger grabbing headlines at the moment, Tottenham have a far more valuable player in Kulusevski in their squad.

Spurs midfielder who was in the squad vs Newcastle set to leave this week

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Tottenham are putting the finishing touches on a deal to send one of their young talents away for the 2024/25 campaign, it has been claimed, with a deal already broadly agreed.

Spurs planning for the future

Though Ange Postecoglou has been tasked with excelling in the Premier League now, Tottenham are clearly looking beyond the upcoming season with their transfer strategy, which has represented a major change of tack from previous regimes.

The Lilywhites have made a point to both sign young talents for the first team and focus on youth recruitment, with Techinal Director Johan Lange explaining the change of strategy earlier in the year when they signed Lucas Bergvall ahead of Barcelona.

"First of all we want to be a destination for the best young talent out there," he explained. "That can be talent coming into our academy in the foundation phase, or later being developed [when] coming through the academy. Or, as in the case, of Lucas it can be a player we decide to try to buy from a club abroad, in this case Djugardens.

"We're completely aligned as a club on how we want to build the squad over the coming years, which is hugely important. But this is not only about Ange or myself, this is a club strategy, a club alignment and Ange and myself have been brought in in different roles to execute this."

Part of that plan requires young talents to be sent out on loan to gain more first team experience, and now that is precisely what seems set to happen to a homegrown talent.

Midfielder set to leave on loan

Now, midfielder Alfie Devine is set to leave the club on loan, with Belgian outlet Gazet van Antwerpen [Via Sport Witness] claiming that Spurs have "reached an agreement" for him to join Pro League side KVC Westerlo.

The two sides already have a good relationship, with the Belgian side currently where Luka Vuskovic currently plays after being signed by Spurs. Given this, it is reported that "the two clubs are in contact every week" and "a Spurs scout has been following Vušković’s development", leading to this opportunity for Devine.

The 20-year-old midfielder spent last season out on loan with Port Vale and then Plymouth Argyle, where he impressed onlookers and managers alike.

“He’s a lovely footballer. I have worked an awful lot with Alfie, so I know what he’s capable of and we are starting to see it now”, then-Plymouth boss Ian Foster told the media. “He has got a really good tactical brain, a really clear understanding of what we are asking him to do. He applies himself brilliantly.”

Spurs hit gold on amazing star who'd be worth way more than Haaland in 2024

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

To say that it's been a mixed start to the season for Tottenham Hotspur this year would probably be an understatement.

In their three Premier League games thus far, they have drawn away to Leicester City, won at home to Everton and lost away to Newcastle United. However, against the Foxes and the Magpies, Ange Postecoglou's side produced a higher expected goals figure, suggesting that a lack of cutting-edge up top is letting them down.

The North Londoners did spend big on Dominic Solanke this summer, but a minor injury has seen him miss the last two games, and as effective as the Englishman is sure to be in this Lilywhites side, he, along with almost every other striker in the league will be battling for second place in the top goalscorers list behind the unstoppable Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian goal machine has started this season on fire and looks like the best striker on the planet, but interestingly, Spurs have had a player that, in 2024 money, would be worth even more than the treble-winner.

Haaland's incredible form

Yes, similarly to how the vast majority of fans and pundits have tipped Manchester City to finish atop the Premier League table again this season, there is a feeling that should he remain fit, Haaland will win the Golden Boot with relative ease.

For example, during his time with Borussia Dortmund, the Norwegian powerhouse scored 86 goals and provided 23 assists in 89 appearances. Whereas in England, he has already scored 97 goals and provided 14 assists in just 102 games for City.

This season alone, he has already bagged seven goals in four matches, including hattricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United within the space of a week.

Simply put, there is no stopping the Leeds-born phenom, and understandably, his valuation is enormous, with Football Transfers valuing him at €144m, which converts to about £121m.

However, while that's an incredible amount of money, Spurs actually sold a star of their own in the past for a sum that would translate into even more money when adjusted for the current transfer market.

Gareth Bale's valuation in 2024

So, the former Spurs ace in question is none other than Wales legend Gareth Bale, who left the club to join Real Madrid for a massive £85m in the summer of 2013.

Now, that figure alone is obviously less than Haaland's current valuation, but thanks to the smart folk at Totally Money, we can adjust that fee for the rapid inflation football has experienced in the 11 years since and work out that, in today's money, the Welshman would have been sold for a mammoth £166m—or about £45m more than the Norwegian is currently worth.

Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe's top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.

It's certainly an incredible amount of money, but the former Southampton gem was a massively important part of Spurs' squad and had just come off an astounding season in which he had scored 26 goals and provided ten assists in just 44 appearances for the club, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.22 games.

Moreover, the "world-class" attacker, as he was dubbed by former manager Andre Villas-Boas, was only 24 at the time and, therefore, had plenty of time to reach another level in Spain, and indeed he did.

In all, the Cardiff-born superstar won five Champions Leagues, three La Liga, one Copa del Rey and a whole host of smaller trophies in Madrid and even returned to North London on loan for the 2020/21 season, in which he scored 16 goals and provided three assists in 34 games.

Ultimately, while his most trophy-laden years came in the Spanish capital, Bale has still played a significant part in Tottenham's recent history, ending his career with 71 goals and 53 assists in 237 appearances for the club.

While it's a lot of money, it makes perfect sense that his transfer fee is higher than Haaland's valuation when adjusted for today's market.

Spurs already have the perfect Son heir in "outstanding" homegrown teen

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

It's been a mixed start to the Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur so far this year.

Ange Postecoglou's side drew 1-1 away to Leicester City in their opening game of the campaign, then smashed Everton 4-0 at home the following weekend before falling to a 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle United last week.

However, while the results certainly haven't been ideal, the performances have given fans reasons to be hopeful, and just like he was last season, Son Heung-min looks like he's going to be one of the club's biggest goal threats this year.

However, as talented as the South Korean superstar is, he is also 32 years old. Therefore, the Lilywhites have to start thinking about a long-term replacement for him, although the good news is that they may well already have one.

Son's Spurs career

Tottenham fans have been blessed with some incredibly talented players in their recent history, from Luka Modrić and Gareth Bale over a decade ago to Harry Kane and Son in recent years.

However, while the others eventually left, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace has remained in N17 and has established himself as a bonafide modern-day legend amongst the fanbase, and for good reason.

Since making his £22m move to the club in 2015, the Chuncheon-born dynamo has made 411 appearances, in which he has scored a staggering 164 goals and provided 84 assists to boot, meaning that he has averaged a goal involvement every 1.65 games since his arrival - talk about world-class.

In fact, he is such an elite goalscorer that in the 2021/22 season, he won the Premier League Golden Boot alongside Mohamed Salah, but what's so impressive is that none of his 23 league goals that season were penalties.

In all, Son is an icon of the Premier League and will go down as one of the Lilywhites' best-ever players, but at 32 years old, the club must plan for his eventual departure or decline, and while he's got enormous shoes to fill, the North Londoners might already have the perfect heir in their academy.

Why fans should be excited about Mikey Moore

The youngster in question is Spurs' academy gem, Mikey Moore.

The 17-year-old has been a tour de force in the Lilywhites' youth sides in recent years and, in just 33 appearances, has already racked up a seriously impressive haul of 20 goals and 15 assists, which equates to an average of a goal involvement every 0.94 games, or 1.06 per match.

The "outstanding" talent, as dubbed by Postecoglou, has been so impressive in the junior sides that he has now made two senior competitive appearances despite still being just 17 years old.

However, while his small cameos in the Premier League this season show how highly the club rate him, his performances in preseason showed how special a player he is.

For example, the Southwark-born star scored against Hearts and Vissel Kobe during the summer, and while they were friendlies, it's still a massive step up from playing against kids.

Interestingly, the "brilliant" youngster, as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, has played in a variety of positions, from centre-forward to attacking midfield, for the Lilywhites' youth teams.

However, his most played position remains left-wing, meaning that he could potentially come off the bench for the captain at points this season, in a bid to get more first-team minutes.

Ultimately, Moore is still a kid, and Son looks like he could play at the top level for another couple of years, but when he does eventually need to be replaced, Spurs should already have the perfect candidate.

Sporting director names Tottenham as potential 2025 move for £25m star

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

Tottenham Hotspur have been named as a possible destination for a £25 million player by a foreign club chief, who suggests that a 2025 transfer to north London is indeed possible.

Spurs finish summer transfer window with four signings totaling £113m

Manager Ange Postecoglou, technical director Johan Lange and chairman Daniel Levy and their wider recruitment team strengthened the Spurs squad in a variety of key areas over the summer window, spending a total of around £113 million on four key additions.

Timo Werner extended his loan deal with the Lilywhites to run through to the end of this Premier League season, with the new temporary agreement including a cheaper buy-option set at around £7.5 million.

After agreeing to keep the German, Spurs moved to sign 18-year-old Archie Gray from Leeds United for around £40 million, strengthening Postecoglou's midfield options with the arrival of an English sensation who starred at Elland Road in the Championship last season.

Their biggest marquee deal, a £65 million (including add-ons) move for striker Dominic Solanke, also provided Postecoglou with a proven Premier League goalscorer to lead the line this campaign - and he's expected to be a highly crucial player for them throughout 2024/2025.

Spurs ended their productive window with the swift and largely silent transfer of Wilson Odobert from Burnley, summing up their transfer business and not counting moves for youngsters Lucas Bergvall and South Korean wonderkid Min-hyeok Yang.

Levy and Lange also offloaded a host of players in that time, including a deadline day exit for midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who completed a permanent switch back to former club Real Betis in La Liga.

Manu Fajardo names Tottenham as 2025 move for Johnny Cardoso

A condition of the agreement was first refusal on a potential future swoop for Betis star Johnny Cardoso. Spurs reportedly have opening rights to sign the 22-year-old USA international for around £25 million, which could be a possibility considering his impressive performances in the Spanish top flight lately.

Betis sporting director Manu Fajardo has publicly confirmed Tottenham's involvement in a potential future move for Cardoso, hinting that a summer move to N17 in 2025 is a possibility for the player.

"He has played an important role in terms of his rights for the future," said Fajardo in a Q&A with Marca this week. "Leaving next summer? It would depend on Tottenham and other offers that come in."

Spurs flop who was sold for £13m is having a terrible time at his new club

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

The summer transfer window of 2024 was not one where Tottenham blew the Premier League away but they did seal some impressive captures.

Archie Gray, hailed as a "future £100m" midfielder by some is viewed as an elite talent in the making while the £65m addition of Dominic Solanke, although pricey, will certainly add more goals to Ange Postecoglou's ranks.

Wilson Odobert has started his Spurs career brightly and looks a real talent, although he will have to improve his decision-making and end product to make it long-term in north London.

There were also a series of important departures with the likes of Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon and Giovani Lo Celso heading for pastures new.

With such a long list of departures, whether it was permanent or loan deals, it may well intrigue supporters to learn how some of those players are getting on.

Let's have a look at the enigmatic Emerson.

Emerson's time at Milan so far

It's safe to say that the Brazilian was never the most consistent player in a Tottenham shirt.

Despite racking up 101 appearances for the club, the 25-year-old never really set the world alight having arrived from European royalty in the form of Barcelona.

Branded as a "liability" by the ever-outspoken Jamie O'Hara, a series of defensive errors and total indecision often cost him during his days in north London.

Whether it was that red card challenge on Gabriel Martinelli in 2022 or what may have proven to be the final straw - an error against Hearts in pre-season - the full-back was given chance after chance but rarely repaid his manager's faith.

As a result, the defender was sold this summer, heading to AC Milan in a move worth around £13m according to reports.

How's it all gone then? Well, as Italian football editor Kaustubh Pandey stated on Saturday, Spurs have secured a "deal for the ages" given his price tag and subsequent performances on the continent.

Yeah, it's not started very well for Emerson. Should we be surprised? Probably not, but the level of criticism he has attracted since moving is quite something.

Handed 5/10 ratings by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport for his performances against both Parma and Lazio in recent weeks, the full-back was further described as "woeful" by Milan writer Isak Moller and "terrible" by The Athletic's Martino Puccio.

The error in the clip below rather sums up what they're talking about.

So, what do the numbers say? It's not great viewing either for the recently departed Spurs defender.

What type of performance can we ascertain purely on the stats alone? Well, Emerson offered absolutely nothing in forward areas at the weekend and also struggled defensively, rarely involved in many good things that Milan did on the day.

To think he took Kaka's number 22 as well. Sheesh, good luck getting the Rossoneri fans back onside quickly.

Spurs hit gold on amazing signing who's worth even more than Isak

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image
Description

It's rather safe to say that Tottenham don't particularly like travelling to St James' Park. It's been a bleak away fixture for the Lilywhites who just can't seem to defeat Newcastle United.

Their record in recent years has been dreadful, with that iconic 6-1 defeat where the Magpies ran rampant in the first half still rather fresh in the memory.

Spurs' fortunes were no better on Sunday afternoon, even if the performance was more convincing than in recent years.

On another day, Ange Postecoglou's side could quite easily have left Tyneside with all three points. They struck the bar, forced Nick Pope into some nervy moments and should probably have scored through Wilson Odobert. It said it all, however, that they had to rely on an own goal during the 2-1 loss.

Cristian Romero wasn't at the races and was caught out of position for both goals, notably for the second when Jacob Murphy was given the freedom of the pitch to run in behind and lay it on a plate for Alexander Isak.

Isak's performance in numbers against Spurs

The performance of Isak would no doubt have intrigued Postecoglou, particularly after the arrival of their own big-money striker this summer in the shape of Dominic Solanke.

Spurs were arguably stifled by the Englishman's injury on Sunday and lacked a focal point, someone to aim for in the box to take advantage of their constant second-half pressure.

As it happens, it was that man Isak who scored the winner. The Swede hasn't looked his normal self this term but he loves playing against Tottenham and added to his tally over the weekend. The finish was simple, tapping into an empty net from a matter of a few years after Murphy had taken Guglielmo Vicario out of the game.

Besides that, the centre-forward perhaps didn't have his best outing, winning just three of his 14 duels and giving away possession on ten occasions.

That said, the £60m-rated talent is one of the most menacing attackers in the division. His 21 goals in 30 Premier League matches last season says it all.

Postecoglou will no doubt hope that Solanke reaches those dizzy heights once fit and firing. The former Cherries star was prised away for a £65m fee, more than Isak's current valuation, as per Fotmob. He's not the only man in the white of Spurs who's worth more though.

James Maddison's season in numbers

Signed for a fee of £40m during the Australian manager's first summer in the dug-out, James Maddison has had a topsy-turvy Spurs career.

The attacking midfielder started last season on fire, scoring three times and supplying five assists in his opening 11 matches. Injury struck, however, and since then he hasn't been the same player, missing out on a place in the squad for Euro 2024, a decision that understandably left him gutted.

Returning at the start of 2024, Maddison endured a run of 17 matches where he scored only once. At the start of the new campaign, he's looked more like his older self. Maddison has failed to score again but he's picked up assists versus both Leicester City and Everton.

You sense that once this Spurs team begins to fire, those numbers will only improve. Indeed, the thought of the England international featuring in a three-prong attack alongside Heung-min Son and the aforementioned Solanke is an exciting one.

Although he's endured a tricky year, this is still one of the division's premier creators we're talking about here. Last term, the "incredible" midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, ranked inside the top 8% of positionally similar players in the Premier League for assists per 90 and among the best 3% for key passes, as per FBRef.