While the mood following Thursday night’s Europa League win is a jubilant one around Tottenham Hotspur, there is no denying that, domestically at least, this season has been a disaster.
However, it would also be fair to say that there is a real sense of disappointment about that fact, as while injuries have certainly played their part, it feels as if many of the players have not played to their full potential, as while the table might not show it, Spurs have several seriously talented stars in their squad.
For example, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray already look like top-flight veterans, Dominic Solanke can be near-enough unplayable on his day, and in Djed Spence, the North Londoners could have an incredible all-action full-back on their hands.
However, when it comes to the club’s best player, the one other top teams would love to sign, it has to be Dejan Kulusevski, although since taking charge in 2023, Ange Postecoglou is responsible for the Lilywhites’ best signing since the Swede.
Kulusevski's Spurs career
It was in January 2022, under former manager Antonio Conte, that Kulusevski first made his way to N17 on an 18-month loan deal with an option to buy, which was exercised in June 2023, when he joined the club permanently for around £25m.
While not bad by any means, it would probably be fair to say that in his first couple of years in North London, the Stockholm-born star wasn’t particularly remarkable, racking up just 15 goals and 19 assists in 96 games across his first two-and-a-half-seasons.
However, this year has been completely different, as a positional shift, which has seen him move into the middle of the park for about half of his appearances, has seen his productivity explode.
Appearances
20
37
39
44
Goals
5
2
8
10
Assists
8
8
3
10
Goal Involvements per Game
0.65
0.27
0.28
0.45
For example, he’s scored ten goals and provided ten assists in just 44 appearances this term, and of those 20 goal involvements, 12 have come in 23 appearances in attacking and central midfield.
Moreover, even when he’s not scoring or providing an assist, the “world-class” international, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been far more influential this year, helping spring attacks from deep and even occasionally helping stop opposition ones from starting.
In all, Kulusevski must be considered one of Spurs’ most important players, but there is another crucial first-teamer who’s undoubtedly been the club’s best signing since the Swedish superstar first made his way to North London.
Spurs' best signing since Kulusevski
While you could make the argument that the likes of Solanke, Bergvall or even Gray have been Spurs’ best signings since Kulusevski, we reckon it’s someone else entirely, someone who is undeniably crucial to Postecoglou’s gameplan: Micky van de Ven.
Yes, for our money, the North Londoners’ best signing since the Swedish international has to be the Flying Dutchman, who joined the club for around £43m from VfL Wolfsburg in August 2023, which might have seemed like a lot at the time, but now looks like a bargain.
So, what makes the Wormer-born titan so special then? Well, there are a few things, but his headline quality, and the one that makes him so important to the manager’s long-term plans, is his electric pace.
For example, it was only last season that the 24-year-old set a Premier League record for the fastest sprint when he hit an unbelievable 37.38km/h in a game against Brentford, and it’s this ability to get back at a pace no defender can match that allows the North Londoners to play such a high line when he’s fit.
In fact, we saw this in the team’s 1-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt last week, when he managed to get back and stop breakaways a couple of times in the first half.
However, on top of his “ridiculous” speed, as analyst Ben Mattinson described it, the former Wolfsburg star has a brilliant sense of when to make a tackle and has the physical strength to take on any attacker he comes up against, leading talent scout Jacek Kulig to brand him “complete & dominant.”
Moreover, his underlying numbers make for some great reading, with FBref placing him in the top 1% of Premier League centre-backs for assists, the top 2% for expected assisted goals, the top 3% for ball recoveries, the top 5% for goals plus assists and carries, the top 10% for goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.
Assists
0.20
Top 1%
Exp. Assisted Goals
0.12
Top 2%
Ball Recoveries
5.87
Top 3%
Goals + Assists
0.20
Top 5%
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.17
Top 5%
Carries
56.09
Top 5%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.20
Top 10%
Ultimately, while this season has been something of a disaster, Spurs have several seriously talented players in their squad, and based on how well he’s played when fit, Van de Ven has to be the club’s best signing since Kulusevski.
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