FootballFanCast.com

Although last season may not have gone entirely according to plan, and this year hasn't exactly started perfectly either, you cannot deny that Tottenham Hotspur are now one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the Premier League.

The arrival of Ange Postecoglou last summer has completely transformed the way the team approaches matches. Instead of boring their fans to tears like they did at times under their three previous managers, they now attack with gusto at every opportunity.

Now, does this sometimes result in the other side scoring a goal? Yes, often. However, it's become crystal clear over the last year or so that the Australian will not be changing his ways just because a pundit who hasn't played for 30 years thinks he's being naive.

That said, for as talented as some of the Lilywhites' attackers are, they can sometimes be rather wasteful in front of goal. Of the players at the club last season, all but Son Heung-min were outperformed by a youngster sold by Daniel Levy and Co, whose valuation has since soared 166%.

Spurs' attackers in 23/24

So, let's start with Son Heung-min, who was Spurs' most effective attacker by quite some way last season.

Despite being constantly moved between the left-wing and centre-forward positions, the South Korean superstar still racked up a seriously impressive haul of 17 goals and ten assists in just 36 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 1.33 games.

Behind the captain, and by quite some way at that, we have Richarlison, who managed to somewhat make up for his dismal debut campaign with the club by scoring 12 goals - including a screamer against his old side - and providing four assists in 31 matches, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.93 games.

Just behind the Brazilian, we have a summer signing in Brennan Johnson, who joined the Lilywhites from Nottingham Forest for a hefty fee of around £47.5m.

The Welshman started the season slowly and, as a result, caught some flak from pundits and fans alike. However, he eventually got to grips with Postecoglou's system and ended the campaign with five goals and ten assists in 34 appearances, which equates to a reasonable average of a goal involvement every 2.26 games.

Now, while Johnson nor Richarlison were on a level comparable to Son, they both contributed to the North Londoners' attack reasonably well and could be set to take another step forward this year, but a former Spurs youngster sold just a couple of years ago is now back in the top-flight, and he comfortably outperformed the pair of them in 23/24.

Jack Clarke's 23/24

Yes, the player in question is Jack Clarke, who, after being signed by Tottenham for around £8.5m in 2019, spent the next few years on fairly mediocre loan spells with Leeds United, Queens Park Rangers, and Stoke City before spending six months with Sunderland in the latter half of the 21/22 season, who then snapped him up in July 2022.

Now, there is some confusion as to how much the Black Cats paid for the York-born dynamo, but it seems that he was sold for just £750k. However, the North Londoners did insert a hefty sell-on clause that would have netted them a not insignificant amount of money when Ipswich Town splashed an initial £15m on Clarke this summer.

The fee paid by the Tractor Boys means that the Englishman's value has shot up 1900% since Spurs sold him, and while that sounds like a lot, it's quite justified.

For example, in just 42 appearances last season, the "unplayable" ace, as dubbed by pundit Alan Clarke, scored 15 goals and provided four assists, meaning that he averaged a goal involvement every 2.21 games from left midfield and left wing, which would have made him the second most productive player at Spurs.

Now, the caveat here is that his level of opposition in the second tier is obviously inferior, but the difference isn't as significant as it once was, and while he might not have been able to produce the same numbers in the Premier League, the thought of him playing under Postecoglou is an exciting one.

Ultimately, considering the money they received from his move to Ipswich and the difficulty he had breaking into the first team, Spurs may well have made the correct decision when they sold him two years ago, but should he kick on in Norfolk this season, Levy could have some explaining to do.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has lavished praise on a "quality" player, who has performed well since sealing a move away from Tottenham in the summer.

Postecoglou and Lange lead summer window clearout at Tottenham

Spurs let a host of players leave in the summer window, as manager Ange Postecoglou and technical director Johan Lange moved to trim the squad of unwanted men who were deemed surplus-to-requirements.

Postecoglou gave the green light for his side to let 15 senior players leave on loan or permanently, with Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Alejo Veliz, Bryan Gil, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon, Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Ashley Phillips and Dane Scarlett all departing N17 in the summer.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy has brought in a total of around £46 million through these exits, as the majority were free transfers or loan deals, but the club have freed up plenty of squad space and trimmed their wage bill in the process.

There is still a chance that the likes of Sergio Reguilion and Ben Davies could leave in the next two days as well, with the Turkish transfer window open until Friday. Super Lig champions Galatasaray have registered an interest in signing Davies from Spurs as their manager, Okan Buruk, plans to switch to a back three - according to reports.

Meanwhile, Reguilon has also attracted interest from Fenerbahce, where he would reunite with ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho. It's been an interesting and productive last few months in terms of player sales at Tottenham, with Manor Solomon being another one of the 15 players to leave north London.

The Israeli international, who joined Tottenham on a free from Shakhtar Donetsk last summer, spent the vast majority of last season sidelined - but his loan move to Leeds United has granted an opportunity for the winger to resurrect his career elsewhere.

Paul Robinson hails Manor Solomon after Tottenham exit

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Sky pundit and ex-Spurs keeper Robinson has lavished praise on Solomon after his Tottenham exit - stating that he's Leeds' best signing of the window, while also praising the 25-year-old's excellent start to life in the Championship.

“I think he’s the best signing of the window at Leeds. He’s a really clever signing – he’s a Premier League player. We saw him on loan with Fulham, which prompted Tottenham to buy him," said Robinson.

“He didn’t really get his opportunities at Spurs last year but he’s very well established at international level, playing over 35 games for Israel. Looking at his quality and directness, he’s someone who belongs in the Premier League.

“Leeds have lost Rutter, lost Summerville, lost Sinisterra last season. Alongside Gnonto, he’s the type of player who does give Leeds Premier League quality. He was a very shrewd signing, who can play anywhere across the attack, even as a false-nine if needed. I thought he was excellent against Hull City.”

Solomon bagged an assist on his first start for Leeds against Hull, and time will tell whether Spurs regret letting him depart for the rest of this season, as they seek to build upon last campaign's fifth-placed finish.

After defeat to Newcastle United last time out it's unlikely confidence will have been too high in the Tottenham camp.

Indeed, this has been a tricky opening to the new campaign for Spurs who lost at St James' Park almost a fortnight ago and have already drawn with newly-promoted Leicester.

They did, at least, put Everton to the sword. Silver linings and all that, eh?

So, if you had supporters name one team they didn't want to face early doors it was probably title contenders Arsenal. The Gunners are unbeaten but come into this weekend's contest without a number of key players.

Perhaps Ange Postecoglou's team could be in the running for a win, after all?

Team news ahead of Spurs vs Arsenal

Declan Rice has been ruled out of the game through that controversial sending-off against Brighton last time out. From an Arsenal perspective, the less said about that the better.

Either way, with Rice out and Mikel Merino also nursing a shoulder injury that he sustained in his first training session, it leaves a hole in Mikel Arteta's midfield.

That has been worsened by the news that Martin Odegaard could now miss the next three to four weeks of action after picking up a nasty-looking ankle injury in Norway's win over Austria on Monday evening. The Arsenal skipper twisted his ankle and had to be helped form the field.

That said, Postecoglou is also waiting with bated breath over the fitness of a few of his key men.

Micky van de Ven should be back after missing the defeat to Newcastle but the fitness of Dominic Solanke is still uncertain after he sat out the last two matches.

The latest news is that Yves Bissouma could also be absent for the derby after he was substituted in Mali's 1-0 win over Eswatini in midweek. He was forced to limp from the field following a heavy challenge.

Why Odegaard's injury is great news for Spurs

If you were a Tottenham player and you could pick three players to be out injured for a north London clash you would probably pick Bukayo Saka, Rice and Odegaard.

Well, they'll only be coming up against one of them in what is a colossal boost to their chances of claiming victory on Sunday afternoon.

Why? Well, both players are among the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award. That says it all, doesn't it?

To go more in-depth, Odegaard is the beating heart of this Arsenal team. His combination play with Saka down the right-hand side is one of the biggest reasons for their success over the last couple of years.

Last season, only two players in the whole top flight registered more assists than Odegaard (10). That's Cole Palmer (11) and Ollie Watkins (13). Meanwhile, only four players in the Premier League - Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes and Heung-min Son - created more chances over the course of 2023/24.

So, what does this mean for Spurs? It's good news as far as the club's leaky defence are concerned. Arsenal's frontline are likely to be provided with fewer opportunities to score from.

That's music to the ears of the robust Cristian Romero, a man who is usually all over a derby day game like this one.

Having made two errors against the Toon, charging away from his position to press Newcastle's more creative players, it lessens the likelihood of that eventuality occurring again.

Without Odegaard, it's anyone's guess at to what solution Arteta will identify. He could go with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, a contest Romero would no doubt relish against a lightweight player.

It could also mean that Kai Havertz is forced to operate in a deeper position, thus occupying the Spurs defence - chiefly Romero - on a far less regular basis than he initially would have.

Truth be told, Tottenham have been gifted an ideal route to claiming all three points here. They must respond well to Arsenal's messy midfield situation.

Ange Postecoglou has been dealt another Tottenham injury worry ahead of the north London derby, with a "world-class" Spurs player injured on international duty.

The Lilywhites host Arsenal this weekend in what is one of their biggest games of the Premier League season, and Postecoglou will be hoping that he can help to spoil Mikel Arteta's title charge early doors.

Arsenal are without summer signing Mikel Merino this weekend, with the Spaniard fracturing his shoulder in training and could be out for nearly two months. Declan Rice is also a big miss for Arteta and won't play a part after he was sent off for two bookable offences in their last game against Brighton.

Captain Martin Odegaard is a huge doubt for the clash at Tottenham as well, following the midfielder's ankle sprain, which forced him off during Norway's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Austria on Monday.

Riccardo Calafiori could miss the north London derby too, after suffering a freak injury on international duty for Italy, so Arteta has been dealt numerous selection headaches and concerns ahead of their face-off with Spurs.

For Tottenham, important trio Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and marquee summer signing Dominic Solanke missed their most recent 2-1 defeat away at Newcastle, but there is optimism that both van de Ven and Solanke could return against Arsenal.

"Micky was close, he trained this week, but he's not quite 100 per cent," said Postecoglou on van de Ven.

"Part of me was keen to give Radu a run as well, especially at this venue, so we've gone with Radu. It's nothing serious, we've a heavy programme after the international break. We're going to need all our back four, so getting Radu a game is positive for us."

Solanke has been absent since his sustaining an opening weekend ankle injury away to Leicester City, but Postecoglou has since revealed that the Englishman is close to returning.

“Dom is close but we're going to be a bit cautious with him," said Postecoglou in an injury update on Solanke.

"We've got a big programme post the international break, so he'll miss out on Sunday.”

Richarlison is still seen as a real doubt for Tottenham and is likely not to feature against Arsenal, with Postecoglou sharing that the Brazilian is set to be out for weeks.

“The only other one we got midweek is Richarlison," said Postecoglou on Richarlison's injury, just before Spurs faced Newcastle.

"Picked up an injury in training, so he'll probably miss the next few weeks.”

While Richarlison isn't expected to return for Tottenham until later this month, Postecoglou has been dealt another potential injury absence on top of the 27-year-old.

Yves Bissouma limps off after suffering injury against Estawini

Concerns now surround midfielder Yves Bissouma, and whether he will be able to play against Arsenal.

Bissouma was forced off with an injury during Mali's 1-0 win over Estawini in midweek, with the 28-year-old limping off in the 64th minute after a heavy challenge. He scored Mali's only goal of the game in the seventh minute, but it couldn't have been a worse end to the 90, as he now waits to discover the severity of his injury.

It hasn't been the start to the Premier League season that fans of Tottenham Hotspur would have been hoping for over the summer.

Ange Postecoglou's side have played some brilliant football in their three games thus far, but a lack of clinical finishing has seen them draw away to Leicester City, win at home to Everton and then lose away to Newcastle United.

The Australian coach will need his attacking players to find their shooting boots ahead of this weekend's North London Derby, and while the team's defence was quite porous last season, there is undeniable quality there.

The main starters across the backline are some of the club's most valuable players, especially one of them who has seen his valuation soar in the last year or so.

Spurs' defensive stars

Okay, so the first thing to point out is that yes, Spurs did concede 61 times last season, and while that would suggest that their defence is subpar, most fans will tell you that's not the case.

Instead, the North Londoners' tendency to concede is more down to the ultra-attacking style of football employed by Postecoglou and his determination to play a high-line as well, and while that's caused issues at the back, it has also made Tottenham one of the most entertaining sides to watch in the country.

So, let's look at the value of some of the club's primary defenders, starting with Pedro Porro, who, after joining the club for around £40m in January 2023, has established himself as one of the best attacking fullbacks in the league.

In his 57 matches for the club, he has already racked up eight goals and ten assists, equating to a seriously impressive average - for a fullback - of a goal involvement once every 3.16 games.

Moving onto the Lilywhites' starting centre-back pairing, while Radu Dragusin is a talented player, he's firmly behind Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

The former cost Daniel Levy and Co a cool £43m just last summer, and while he has suffered from a worrying number of injuries in his career, his rapid pace makes him an essential component to Postecoglou's ultra-aggressive style of play.

Romero, on the other hand, cost Spurs just a fraction less at £42m, and made the move from Serie A side Atalanta in August 2021. While the World Cup winner isn't quite as fast as his defensive partner, he is the team's leader at the back and is co-vice captain alongside James Maddison.

Moreover, with Lionel Messi describing the Córdoba-born titan as the "best defender in the world", it would be fair to say that he might just be the most crucial member of Tottenham's back four.

However, the last player in this group is currently worth considerably more than the club paid for any of his defensive teammates, and it's not even close.

Destiny Udogie's valuation in 2024

Yes, the final key member of Tottenham's talented back four is, of course, Destiny Udogie, who was signed from Serie A outfit Udinese by Antonio Conte's Spurs in the summer of 2022 for just £15m plus add-ons.

The Verona-born star then remained in his home country for another season on loan before joining the North Londoners just as Postecoglou was doing the same.

The Australian took a liking to the 21-year-old's fearless style of play and attacking attributes and, even though he was a relative unknown to most football fans in England at the time, opted to make him his first-choice left-back - and what a decision that was.

In all, Conte's "masterclass signing," as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, made 30 appearances last season. In those appearances, he scored two goals, provided three assists, and became Tottenham's first player ever to be nominated for the Premier League's Young Player of the Season Award.

Unsurprisingly, such a rapid development from an obscure name to one of the best full-backs in the league has seen his valuation soar. According to the CIES Football Observatory, he is now worth up to €83m, which converts to about £70m, or a 366% increase on the fee paid by the club two years ago.

Ultimately, Spurs are blessed with a seriously talented back four, and while they are all worth a considerable sum of money, the explosion in Udogie's value is a testament to his importance to the club.

The manager of a 2023/2024 league-winning side has requested that his club sign one Tottenham star outside the UK transfer window, with the coach making this demand as he plans a tactical tweak to his eleven.

Spurs sell or loan out host of players over the summer

As many as 15 senior players departed Spurs before the summer transfer deadline, either on loan or permanently, with Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Alejo Veliz, Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon, Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Ashley Phillips and Dane Scarlett moving on to pastures new.

Given the vast majority of these deals were either loans or free transfers, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy only managed to raise around £46 million by facilitating these exits, but Tottenham are set to receive a further £17 million next summer through Hojbjerg's loan to Marseille - as it includes an obligation to buy.

Ange Postecoglou has watched his squad get seriously trimmed of deadwood and youngsters who need more playing time, with Timo Werner, Archie Gray. Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall joining in their stead.

South Korean wonderkid Min-hyeok Yang is also preparing to join Spurs in January, following his brief loan stint back at Gangwon FC. In the meantime, it is still possible that Postecoglou could shift more players out.

Young midfielder Alfie Devine joined Belgian side Westerlo on loan last week, while there have been rumours that Sergio Reguilon is attracting interest from Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, as the Turkish transfer window does not shut until Friday.

It will be intriguing to see which players could opt to leave their current sides for the east of Europe, as there is still a few days remaining for them to do so. Victor Osimhen most notably sealed a loan move to Süper Lig champions Galatasaray, after failing to secure transfers to both Al-Ahli and Chelsea on deadline day, who were both in rumoured talks for the Nigerian.

Okan Buruk requests Galatasaray sign Ben Davies from Tottenham

According to Takvim, the 23/24 league winners have another high-profile player on their agenda - Wales international and Tottenham defender Ben Davies.

Davies has 88 international caps for Wales, and has been a faithful servant for Spurs since joining them from Swansea City around 10 years ago. Takvim say that Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk has requested the signing of Davies from Tottenham, with the manager now planning to switch to a back-three for the rest of this season.

The 31-year-old has experience in this formation at international level, and is a proven Premier League player with nearly 300 appearances in the competition.

"Ben's an outstanding character, I sensed that straight away in terms of the way he carries himself, the way he thinks about the game and his position in the game," said Postecoglou on Davies.

"From my perspective, the more of those kinds of guys you can have in a dressing room helps you make sure that the standards you want to create are there.

"Ben's certainly one of those and he's been great for us every time he's played. He's probably wanted to play a bit more but it's testament to his character that he's always ready to play and he trains the house down every day."

A free agent has held talks to join Tottenham in an out-of-window move, coming two years after former Spurs transfer Fabio Paratici attempted to strike a deal for him.

Spurs spend £113 million on four senior summer signings

Discounting a deal for South Korean wonderkid Min-hyeok Yang, and Lucas Bergvall's arrival considering he actually signed in January, Spurs spent a total of £113 million on four senior summer signings for manager Ange Postecoglou.

Chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange green-lit deals for Timo Werner, who extended his loan deal until the end of 2024/2025, as well as rising English star Archie Gray, striker Dominic Solanke and winger Wilson Odobert.

Werner bagged two goals and three assists over his Premier League appearances under Postecoglou last season, motivating the club to give him another chance this campaign, with Gray swapping Elland Road for north London in a £40 million move.

Tottenham also spent an initial £55 million (plus £10m in add-ons) to tempt Solanke from Bournemouth, meaning the north Londoners ended their search for an out-and-out Harry Kane replacement.

Odobert put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Spurs after agreeing a £25 million switch from Burnley, rounding off their summer business with a new midfielder, two fresh wide options and a striker.

It is also worth noting that, according to some reports, key figures at Tottenham are excited for Min-hyeok Yang to join in January. The teenage forward, signed for around £3.4 million on a buy-to-loan-back deal, is set to link up with Postecoglou at the turn of the year following his brief loan back at Gangwon FC.

With the new season well underway, and the UK transfer window closed, you'd think that would've been the end of their transfer business. However, Turkish and Greek clubs are still free to sign players, so there is still a chance Sergio Reguilon could secure a Spurs exit in the coming days.

There is also the free agent market, as traditional transfer window rules don't apply to out-of-contract players.

Adrien Rabiot holds out-of-window talks to join Tottenham

As per The Boot Room, Postecoglou's side have been subject to an approach by one of the most elite free agents on the market - ex-Juventus star and France international midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

The 29-year-old is without a club after leaving Juve, and TBR claim he's rejected a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia in favour of remaining in Europe. It is believed Rabiot has contacted Tottenham over joining them via his representatives, alongside other English top flight clubs, as he searches for a new home.

Interestingly, The Times claimed back in 2022 that Paratici was attempting to sign Rabiot for Tottenham around that time, so he's a player who the club have registered a serious interest in before.

The 29-year-old boasts an illustrious playing career at the highest level and is by no means over the hill - representing France at Euro 2024 over the summer. However, he is thought to be demanding around £220,000-per-week, so this may well be forcing suitors to turn away.

It's been an interesting few years for Tottenham Hotspur.

Just a couple of seasons ago, the fans were being subjected to incredibly dull and pragmatic football at the hands of Antonio Conte, and now they are being entertained by the thrilling, albeit occasionally naive, football philosophy of Ange Postecoglou.

The North Londoners produced the sixth-highest expected goals figure in the Premier League last season, per Understat, and with the addition of Dominic Solanke, we wouldn't be surprised to see them rack up even more chances this year.

However, the Englishman has already missed two games this season and should he miss anymore, the goalscoring burden will likely fall to Richarlison, who has shown glimpses of real quality here and there but was outscored by a former Spurs flop last season.

Richarlison's recent form

Spurs paid Everton around £60m in the summer of 2022 to secure Richarlison's services, and in the two years since, it would be fair to say that he hasn't had the best of times.

In his first season with the club, the Brazilian international could only muster up a measly return of three goals and four assists in 35 appearances, meaning he maintained a poor average of a goal involvement once every five games.

However, following Harry Kane's departure last summer, the Nova Venécia-born poacher was given more goalscoring responsibility, and to his credit, he improved upon the previous campaign.

For example, in his 31 matches for Postecoglu, he scored 12 goals and provided four assists, so while he wasn't a goalscoring machine, he did maintain a far more impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.93 games. That said, while Richarlison improved, he was still outscored by a former Spurs flop who left the club five years ago.

Vincent Janssen's 23/24

The player in question is Dutch striker Vincent Janssen, who regularly features in the lists dedicated to Tottenham's worst signings under Daniel Levy.

The Heesch-born poacher joined the North Londoners in the summer of 2016 from Eredivise side AZ Alkmaar for around £19m.

While that might seem like a lot of money for a player who struggled as much as he did, it's because in the season prior, he racked up a frankly ridiculous haul of 32 goals and seven assists in 49 games, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.25 games.

However, things didn't work out for him in N17, and he left the club three years later to join Mexican giants Monterrey for £8m, with just six goals, four assists, 42 appearances and one loan spell in Turkey under his belt.

In Mexico, the 22-capped international scored 24 goals and provided five assists in 93 appearances. While that's not exactly spectacular, it was enough to earn him a move back to Europe in 2022 to play for Belgian side Royal Antwerp, where he won the league in his first campaign.

Janssen maintained his reasonable form into last season and racked up 17 goals and six assists, just beating Richarlison's total. However, the caveat here is that the Jupiler Pro League is obviously not on the same level as the Premier League.

Ultimately, while Janssen has gone on to rediscover his goalscoring touch in Mexico and Belgium, Tottenham were certainly in the right to sell him when they did, and it was in the best interest of everyone.

After a campaign full of ups and downs last year, Tottenham Hotspur are in for a massive season.

Ange Postecoglou will want to ensure the Lilywhites make it back into the Champions League after just missing out last year, and while his team have endured a mixed start to 24/25, they have shown real glimpses of brilliance.

The Australian will need his team to be firing on all cylinders to get them over the line come May, although another season like the last from club captain Son Heung-min should be enough to cover for any underperformers.

The South Korean was incredible in the league last year and proved that, even at 32, he's one of the best attackers in the country, although interestingly, one of his teammates, who former coach Antonio Conte signed, is actually worth more than him.

Son's recent form

As mentioned above, the 23/24 campaign was an odd one for Tottenham, as they looked unplayable at times and alarmingly easy to play at others.

However, while many of his teammates endured quite dramatic shifts in form throughout the year, Son remained a reliable figure in the team, and his incredible output shows as much.

In his 36 games for the Lilywhites, the South Korean phenom scored 17 goals and provided ten assists, meaning that he managed to maintain an average of a goal involvement once every 1.33 games.

What makes this even more impressive is that he was constantly shifted from left-wing to centre-forward during the season, and at 32, he is well past what The Athletic consider to be the peak age for a winger in top-flight football.

However, for as outrageously effective as he was last year, Football Transfers has valued him at just €28m, or about £24m, which is considerably less than one of his fellow wingers is worth.

Dejan Kulusevski's valuation in 2024

The winger in question is, of course, Dejan Kulusevski, who first joined the club on an £8.3m 18-month loan deal under former manager Conte in January 2022.

The Swedish international's move was then made permanent in July for around £26m, which was supposedly slightly less than the initial option to buy included in the loan deal, per the Standard.

Now, it would be fair to say that in his time with the Lilywhites, the former Juventus star has both amazed and frustrated fans, although the reason he occasionally does the latter is that he's clearly an immensely talented footballer who, on his day, can give any defence a run for their money.

For example, in his 99 appearances for the club, the "special" talent, as dubbed by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir, has found the back of the net on 15 occasions and provided 20 assists for good measure, equating to a reasonable average of a goal involvement once every 2.82 games.

This undeniable quality has seen his valuation remain high since joining the North Londoners, and according to Football Transfers, he is currently worth around €57m, which converts to about £48m, or at least double that of Son's valuation.

Now, this drastic disparity is likely down to two things. The first is age; at 32, the South Korean is approaching the end of his career, while at 24, the Stockholm-born dynamo should be approaching his peak years.

The second reason is probably down to their contracts, as the £190k-per-week deal the North Londoners captain is on is set to expire next summer, while the Swede's £110k-per-week contract is set to run for another four years.

Ultimately, both Son and Kulusevski are incredibly talented footballers and could be incredibly important for Tottenham this season. Still, due to the aforementioned reasons, it seems likely that the former's valuation will continue to come down over the coming years, and the latter's will continue to rise, especially if he hits his potential.

Tottenham are set to begin work on a potential new signing for Ange Postecoglou in the transfer windows to come, it has been reported, as they look to get a headstart on the competition for his services.

Spurs suffer mixed start to the Premier League

In 2023/24, Ange Postecoglou's new-look Tottenham side set Premier League records, with eight wins and two draws in their opening 10 games seeing them take home 26 points, the most of any manager in their first 10 matches in the competition's history. This time around, expectations are higher and they are yet to truly impress in the same way that they did this time 12 months ago.

They sit 10th in the Premier League over the first international break, having lost to Newcastle United at St James' Park to leave them sat on four points from their opening three games, with a draw at Leicester City on the opening day being followed with a win over Everton.

There are concerns over squad depth too, with Spurs having seen a whole host of players leave over the summer and now looking light in some areas beyond the first XI. This is especially true of the defence, where all four of Tottenham's regular starters missed games last season; Radu Dragusin was recruited in January from Genoa, while Djed Spence's return is likely to counteract Emerson Royal's departure for AC Milan.

But left-back remains a concern, with no obvious replacement for Destiny Udogie in the Lilywhites squad and the Italian international having missed 10 games last season through injury and suspension, with Sergio Reguilon deemed surplus to requirements. Now, Spurs are moving to deal with that.

Spurs working to sign "Udogie 2.0"

That comes as Sport Witness relay claims in Italy suggesting that Spurs are "ready to launch an attack" to sign Patrick Dorgu from Lecce this season. The 19-year-old defender was on the Lilywhites radar over the summer as well as Chelsea's, and has enjoyed a strong start to the season for both club and country.

He scored less than a minute into his Denmark debut to help them secure a 2-0 win over Switzerland, before being offered another chance off the bench against Serbia.

Now, the report claims that it could well be "too late" if Tottenham or any other interested club to wait until the end of the campaign to try and sign the defender, and as a result they are ready to start contacts now to try and secure a deal early for a future transfer window, similar to how they negotiated the deal to sign Udogie.

Indeed, Dorgu isn't too different from the Italian defender, with Football Analyst Ben Mattinson dubbing him "Destiny Udogie 2.0" on X and adding that he is "the modern full-back dream" as he "oozes calmness and composure when on the ball".

If Tottenham are serious about their interest, they will have to stump up a hefty fee, with Lecce reportedly holding out for offers in excess of 30m euros (£25m), which is a similar fee to that commanded by Udogie when he was signed. But if Postecoglou's side could pull off the deal, they could well have their left-back role sorted for the next decade.