Kulusevski upgrade: Spurs looking at one 'one of the best talents' in Europe

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It's set to be a big season for Tottenham Hotspur this year as Ange Postecoglou looks to build upon his successful debut campaign and lead the club back into the Champions League.

Daniel Levy and Co are clearly doing their best to help the Australian as well, with the exciting signings of Archie Gray, Yang Min-Hyeok, and, most importantly, Dominic Solanke bolstering the squad.

However, it would appear that the North Londoners aren't quite done yet, as recent reports have now linked them with another exciting attacker, although his arrival could spell trouble for Dejan Kulusevski.

Tottenham Hotspurs transfer news

According to a recent report from journalist Steve Kay on KS1 TV, Tottenham are keen to sign a new wide player this summer and are interested in Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman.

Kay claims that there are "a lot of clubs" after the Frenchman at the moment, and he knows that the Lilywhites are "looking at him."

He does not mention how much the former Juventus ace could cost Spurs but reports earlier this week revealed that while Bayern would be willing to let him leave on loan this season, they also value him at between €30m and €40m, which converts to between £26m and £34m.

It could prove to be a complicated deal to get over the line if the interest from other sides is particularly strong, but if Levy and Co can sign Coman this summer, they must, as he'd bring so much quality to the frontline and could be the perfect Kulusevski upgrade.

How Coman compares to Kulusevski

Now, were Spurs to get this deal over the line and bring Coman to North London in the coming weeks, his positional versatility would mean he could play and provide cover on either the left or right of a front three.

However, given Son Heung-min's incredible performance last season, in which he racked up 27 goals and assists in just 36 appearances, it seems far more likely that the Frenchman would be used off the right.

This would then put him in direct competition with Kulusevki for a place on the team. So, how do they compare?

Well, from an output perspective, it's the Bayern ace who comes out ahead, and when we look at their last two seasons combined, it's not even close.

For example, last season, he produced eight goals and assists in 27 appearances, while the campaign before, he racked up 16 goals and assists in 35 appearances. This means he averaged a goal involvement every 3.37 games last season and one every 2.18 games the year prior.

In contrast, the Lilywhites ace ended last season with 11 goals and assists in 39 appearances, while he ended 2022/23 with ten goals and assists in 37 matches. This means he averaged a goal involvement every 3.54 games last season and one every 3.70 games in 22/23.

Unfortunately for the Swedish international, the comparison doesn't get any better for him when we take a look at their underlying numbers from last season.

For example, in practically every metric, the Frenchman, whom former Bayen Sporting Director Matthias Sammer once described as "one of the biggest talents in European football," comes out ahead, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries and passes, shots, key passes, passing accuracy, passes and crosses into the penalty area, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.

Kulusevski does come out on top for shots on target and ball recoveries per 90, but that's really about it and rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Ultimately, if Levy and Co have the chance to sign Coman this summer, they must take it. He'd be an incredible addition to Postecoglou's frontline and the perfect upgrade to Kulusevski.