When Ange Postecoglou was appointed as Tottenham Hotspur boss in 2023 after the sacking of Antonio Conte, many had their doubts over how he would fare in north London.
The Australian's first season in charge saw Spurs get off to a flyer, with the club sitting atop the Premier League standings at the end of matchweek 10 after eight wins and two draws. But they would not be able to sustain their form and finished in fifth place with 66 points, two adrift of the final Champions League place.
Known for his entertaining brand of football which excites neutral fans, the 2024/25 campaign has been hit-and-miss, currently sitting 10th in the league after 11 games - albeit just three points off third - and seventh in the newly-formatted Europa League table, just three points from the top.
Having also eliminated Manchester City from the League Cup, Spurs have also reached their first quarter-final of the season, and with these five players demonstrating the most improvement under the manager, could a piece of silverware finally be on the cards?
Pedro Porro
Defender
Pedro Porro was signed by Spurs, initially on loan, from Sporting CP on transfer deadline day in January 2023, with the deal being made permanent that summer due to the obligation to buy clause.
But his start to life in London was not an easy one, when, during his debut, which came under Conte, former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood heavily criticised the Spaniard's performance in a match that saw Tottenham suffer a 4-1 defeat to Leicester.
"I don’t want to keep picking on the kid, but he needs to be relieved of his duties at the moment...I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because it’s his debut, but Pedro Porro is so bad it’s unbelievable."
But, since Postecoglou has taken over, he has come on leaps and bounds, having 14 goal contributions in 50 appearances - bearing in mind that he is a right-back - and so far he has got forward so much, he has averaged 6.34 crosses per 90 minutes in the last two seasons. This has made him virtually undroppable, and he has now wholly established himself to be one of the most integral members of the team's spine and one of the best right-backs in the club's history.
This season has seen Porro take yet another leap in his development, which has seen his name enter the conversation for being one of the best right-backs in the Premier League. But with such good form comes the attention from even bigger clubs, which now has Spurs fearing the worst, with reports that Real Madrid have taken some interest in the 25-year-old.
Pape Matar Sarr
Midfielder
Prior to Postecoglou's arrival at the club, Pape Matar Sarr had seen just 475 minutes for Tottenham under three different managers (two interim). But he has since become an important member of the squad, having now made 52 appearances - in which he has scored six goals and contributed five assists.
While the Senegalese midfielder has largely come off the bench this season, last year he started 27 of 34 games in the league, and under Postecoglou has gone from averaging 0.83 shot attempts per 90 minutes to 1.91 shot attempts. Sarr is also much more involved in Spurs' attacking play and has gone from creating 1.65 shot-creating actions per 90 to 2.55 over the last two seasons.
Yves Bissouma
Midfielder
Like Sarr, Yves Bissouma has been reignited under Postecoglou, following a disappointing debut season with the club under Conte. Even in his first season with the Australian at the helm, Bissouma struggled to earn his place in the starting eleven, making just 28 appearances in all competitions, though he did deal with injury.
Bissouma's start to the 2024/25 campaign was not ideal for him, nor the club, after he was internally suspended following social media footage depicting him inhaling a substance. Upon his return to the side, he scored, before running over to his manager in celebration, offering his apologies for his previous behaviour.
Since then, he has continued to find his footing, and put on some impressive displays, netting twice in 12 total appearances, while he has re-found his calmness and composure when on the ball, averaging 91.5% passing accuracy.
Defensively, he has become reliable for Postecoglou, going from averaging 2.50 tackles and interceptions per 90 to 4.44, while he also makes far more clearances, going from an average of 0.87 to 1.59 per 90 minutes.
Brennan Johnson
Winger
Not enough can be said about the improvements, particularly as it pertains to his goal contribution numbers, that Brennan Johnson has made, especially this season. Having made the switch from Nottingham Forest to Spurs in the 2023 summer transfer window after a season in which he had netted eight times, Johnson was only able to muster five goals, though he did have 10 assists - all of which came in the Premier League.
After a sluggish start to the 2024/25 campaign, in which he drew so much fan criticism - and some unacceptable, and abhorrent, abuse too - the Welshman decided to deactivate his social media accounts, in a move which actually appeared to instill some fire inside him.
He would net a goal in seven consecutive games and has looked unstoppable at times. As such, this has seen him considered by some to be one of the Premier League's most improved performers this season in what has arguably been the best season of the 23-year-old's young career so far.
Dejan Kulusevski
Winger/Midfielder
Despite so many players having improved under Postecoglou, perhaps nobody has been more instrumental to the success Spurs have seen so far this season than Dejan Kulusevski. Having been deployed both out wide, and in central midfield, since his arrival from Juventus, it is clear that Postecoglou is now finally getting the best out of the Swede.
With impressive display after impressive display, in which he has contributed to 18 goals in his 56 appearances under the manager, seven goal contributions of which have come in 17 appearances this season, Kulusevski has become one of the biggest attacking threats in the league.
This is supported by his shot on target percentage rising from 23.3% before Postecoglou took over, to 34.9%, while he has also seen increases in his progressive passing per 90 minutes, rising from 2.91 to 5.08 per 90. This has seen him emerge as one of the best players in his age bracket. Put simply, if Spurs want to come away from this season with silverware in their cabinet, then Kulusevski will be pivotal to having that chance.