It came as no surprise to see Dejan Kulusevski have a pivotal say in Tottenham's 4-1 win over West Ham on Saturday. A game in which Ange Postecoglou needed an instant response from his Spurs players after the Brighton & Hove Albion defeat, Kulusevski was on it from the get-go as he toyed with his opponents.
That was evident inside the first couple of minutes as he rode challenges, twisted his opponents inside and out and glided across the pitch when in possession of the ball. The Stockholm-born player was the man to get Spurs back on level terms with a low shot that went in off both posts 18 minutes after Mohammed Kudus had opened the scoring for the Hammers.
Kulusevski was also key to Tottenham's third goal of the afternoon as Alphonse Areola put the ball through his own net. Moving into the space down the right and taking in Son Heung-min's pass, the 24-year-old raced into the area and slipped a lovely ball back to his teammate on the outside that culminated in the West Ham goalkeeper scoring an own goal.
Due to the fact it was an own goal, Kulusevski unfortunately doesn't get an assist to his name despite putting the ball on a plate for Son to shoot at goal. It means Tottenham's No.21 remains on two assists for the season so far, which is one behind his tally for last term and six behind the eight he racked up in 2022/23.
The attacker is well on course to beat last year's total and he will be intent on bettering his numbers from two seasons ago come May. In terms of goals, Kulusevski, who scored eight times last campaign, now has two to his name already, with his first strike of the season coming in his standout showing in the 3-0 win over Manchester United.
Such a devastating player across the pitch for Tottenham right now, Postecoglou hailed his player in his post-match conference when reflecting on the West Ham game. One thing he does want from the Swede, though, is more goals and assists.
"Yeah he has been doing that all year and the evolution of Deki as a player, that is now his role not just for us but he's playing there for the national team too," said the 59-year-old. "He's got this ability to get out of tight spaces and he's a really strong runner. He is relentless in his running capacity and he also has the quality.
"In that final third I still think we can get more goals out of him, more assists but he is constantly in those threatening areas and he's been outstanding for us all year. Today he had to show some other facets of the game, some defensive work as well which I thought he did well but I thought the whole team did well."
Tottenham have plenty of goals in their team, especially in the frontline with Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and Son all more than capable of finding the net on a regular basis, and only Man City (19) have scored more than Spurs' 18 goals in the Premier League this season. There's also James Maddison, Timo Werner and Richarlison to add to the aforementioned trio, with Pape Matar Sarr, Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro also contributing on the goal front last season.
If Postecoglou can get Kulusevski to better his eight goals from last season and also chip in regularly in terms of assists, his Spurs team can most definitely go up another level if they can find some real consistency with their results and performances. Kulusevski will also go up another level or two as well if those goals and assists Postecoglou wants become a regular occurrence.
That is a very scary prospect for Premier League clubs going on the sublime performances he is delivering right now in a Tottenham shirt.
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