Tottenham Hotspur star Dejan Kulusevski's introduction against Coventry City saw the Lilywhites overturn a 1-0 defeat into a late 2-1 win in the League Cup as Ange Postecoglou's side almost crashed out of the tournament in the west Midlands - and journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has stated that the Swede's brilliance is so good that he is their best player in four different positions.
Brandon Thomas-Asante put the Sky Blues one goal to the good on Wednesday evening, with Tottenham looking like they would crash out of the competition once again having failed to win the trophy since 2008 - but a late Djed Spence goal looked as though it would force penalties, before Brennan Johnson's late winner turned the game completely on its head to send Spurs through to the last 16. It's seen largely criticism for the clubs' stars as they dragged themselves to victory at the CBS Arena, but Kulusevski has emerged as one of the few players who have taken praise for the late win.
Kulusevski in Tottenham's Best Player 'in Four Positions'
Kulusevski's versatility is one of his best attributes
It was an abhorrent performance from Postecoglou's men before their substitutions were made, and although Kulusevski only came on with 15 minutes to go, it was his performance that has earned rave reviews.
These were namely from Pitt-Brooke, who labelled Kulusevski as Tottenham's 'most important player' before stating that at present, he is their best player in four different positions. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), The Athletic journalist said:
"I think this is widely accepted now but tonight underlined what everyone has known for a while: Dejan Kulusevski is now Spurs' best and most important player. They're half the team without him on the pitch.
"He's been Spurs' best right-winger for a while, he's currently their best no9 (give Solanke time though) and probably their best no8. If they played with a proper 10, he'd be their best at that too."
Kulusevski Key to Tottenham's Future Plans
The winger is arguably their most valuable player
Kulusevski can only be rivalled by Son Heung-min in terms of players who have exuded as much consistency and quality at Tottenham since he joined the club back in August 2021.
The Swedish midfielder spent time at Atalanta, Parma and Juventus before his move to England, and although he failed to fully nail down a starting spot at the Allianz Stadium, Tottenham offered him a route to first-team football. An 18-month loan with an obligation to buy for £25million sufficed, with Tottenham paying big to land him permanently - and he's been in superb form ever since.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Dejan Kulusevski has 41 caps for Sweden, scoring three goals.
Adept at playing off the right on his left-foot, 15 goals and 21 assists in a generally creative role is a great return for Kulusevski - and as Pitt-Brooke says, once he is out of the team, Tottenham definitely feel his absence.
At just 24 years old, he has plenty of time to grow, especially with his contract having another four years left to run - and that will only benefit Postecoglou in the long-term as he can build around one of his stars for years to come if the club continue to qualify for European football on a regular basis.