What might have gone down as the worst season in a generation for Tottenham Hotspur will now be recognised as one of the best.
Under an immense amount of scrutiny and pressure, Ange Postecoglou and his side managed to get the better of Manchester United on Wednesday night and, in the process, win the Europa League.
Their victory in Bilbao now means they’ll be playing in the Champions League next season, which should, in turn, help them attract the best talent in what has to be a massive summer of transfers.
Fortunately, Daniel Levy and Co already seem to be looking to add some genuine quality to the squad, although one of the recent stars touted for a move to N17 could spell trouble for James Maddison.
Tottenham transfer news
Before getting to the star in question, it’s worth reviewing some of the other players linked with Spurs over the last few weeks, such as Daizen Maeda and Eberechi Eze.
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The former played under Postecoglou at Celtic and could be available for just £25m, which would make him a seriously tempting option, as in just 50 appearances for the Hoops this season, he has scored 33 goals and provided 12 assists.
A little closer to home now, and Eze will be available for around £68m thanks to the release clause in his contract.
While that is a lot of money, he’s certainly worth it, as in 42 appearances this term, the Englishman has scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists.
However, there is another younger and just as exciting international who has now been touted for a move to the white side of North London: Xavi Simons.
Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Spurs are ‘dreaming of signing’ the RB Leipzig star, and in exciting news, the Lilywhites believe ‘they can convince’ him to join them.
However, he would cost around €80m, which is about £67m, and there are plenty of other interested parties, with reports from earlier this week claiming Arsenal are keen on the Dutchman.
It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Simons’ immense ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, even if it could be bad news for Maddison.
How Simons compares to Maddison
Now, while Simons is a versatile attacker who can play off either wing, he’s also more than capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, and with Brennan Johnson scoring as many goals as he has this season and Mathys Tel potentially remaining at the club in the summer, there is a strong chance Spurs view the Leipzig ace primarily as a number ten.
Therefore, one of his main competitors for game time next season would be Maddison, but who comes out on top when we compare them?
Well, when it comes to their raw output, which is ultimately the most important metric of all, the former Paris Saint-Germain gem comes out on top.
For example, since the start of last season, the Flying Dutchman, whom one analyst dubbed “one of the best 10s in the world,” has scored 21 goals and provided 23 assists in just 76 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games.
In contrast, since joining the club ahead of last season, the Lilywhites number ten has scored 16 goals and provided 21 assists in 75 appearances, which comes out to a reasonable but comparatively less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.02 games.
Appearances
43
30
Goals
10
4
Assists
15
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.58
0.46
Appearances
33
45
Goals
11
12
Assists
8
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.57
0.51
Furthermore, besides being more productive than the former Leicester City star, the Amsterdam-born “superstar,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is also six years his junior, meaning he’s likely to get better still and has a better fitness record.
For example, he has suffered just one injury in his career to date, which saw him miss 15 games for club and country, whereas the Englishman has suffered 18 injuries, which have seen him miss 67 games for club and country.
Ultimately, while Maddison is a great player, Simons is clearly superior and, therefore, Spurs should do what they can to sign him this summer.
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