Tag Archives: Tottenham Hotspur

Is Savinho the right target for Spurs?

Now that Spurs have added to their options in defence and central midfield, the next task is to refresh the attack. Last season, Spurs suffered from the loss of their two main contributors going forwards – James Maddison and Son Heung Min.

What we lost

As a winger Son added goal threat and chance creation.

And backing him up in the number 10 position was Maddison, who suffered a season ending injury before his campaign had even begun.

The Spurs midfielder has an amazingly balanced profile, contributing strongly in all areas, particularly creatively. Looking at his radar chart it’s not hard to see why Tottenham struggled to replace him.

What we have

Spurs were left with mainly young prospects like Odobert, Bergvall and Tel. It was always a tough ask.

Odobert profiles as a transition carrier. He has high dribbling and goal threat but doesn’t contribute much to pressing or chance creation.

Bergvall is stuck somewhere between attacking midfield and a deeper role. His dribbling success hints at his potential, but he isn’t a Maddison replacement, with little contribution to creating or scoring goals.

Tel is the most impressive of the three, particularly when you compare his numbers with those from the previous campaign. He made huge strides forward, and looks like an option worth persevering with. However his output is still the issue, with mediocre chance creation and finishing.

The two best current candidates

Xavi Simons, who joined later in the season, is the nearest we have to a true number 10.

He’s strong in chance creation, and passing numbers, along with elite pressing but he’s missing a box presence. He prefers to do his work in deeper areas. After his unfortunate injury, he won’t be an option until later in the year.

Mohamed Kudus was one of the few bright spots last season.

He is a top tier dribbler, and his carrying and crossing is also good. The problem is the end product, with little in the way of goal threat and only average chance creation. He is also one of the most turnover-prone players in the league. He takes risks, and that has a cost.

Of course last year Frank put him in unfavourable positions and asked him to work miracles. We have yet to see him in De Zerbi’s system, and there is hope for improvement in a tactical setup that should be more suited to getting wingers in good attacking areas.

Number 10 or winger?

if we are looking for a number 10, Morgan Gibbs-White is an obvious shout. He added more goal threat to his game last season, so would be a good complementary alternative to Xavi. However, given we have Maddison back, and hopefully Xavi will be also be an option later in the year, left wing is the most pressing position to fill.

Other options on the wing include Yakuba Minteh (he’s more right sided and similar to Kudus) or Kevin (he profiles almost identically to Tel).

Savinho

Savinho was heavily linked to Spurs last transfer window, and the rumours are even stronger this summer. But is he the right fit?

If we look at his 2025/26 numbers it appears not. But his season was affected by injury, being used out of position, and finding himself behind new Manchester City addition Jeremy Doku, a league standout.

If we instead look back at the previous year the picture is a lot rosier. He’s the closest match I could find from current Premier League players to the missing profile. He’s in the 93rd percentile for chance creation, 95th for pass threat, 98th for movement, 90th for box presence, all combined with 93rd-percentile dribbling with much higher ball security than Kudus.

His finishing maybe leaves a little to be desired but overall he looks like a great option. The risk is can he recapture this form?

In my mind there are sufficient mitigating factors to explain last season’s drop off. Of course this drop off is one reason Manchester City are willing to sell, and why the price is not completely crazy.

So what should Spurs do?

For me it’s not even close, Savinho is a gamble worth taking and Spurs should do what it takes to bring the Brazilian to the Tottenham Stadium.

Note: My analysis is limited to Premier League players. It may well be that we can find better, cheaper options elsewhere, but Spurs do seem to have focused their new recruitment strategy on the English top flight.

Do you think Savinho is a good transfer target for Spurs?

Why have Spurs spent so much on Tonali and Fernandes?

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Spurs have surprisingly been the big movers in this summer’s market, smashing their transfer record to bring in Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali for a combined value just shy of £200M.

This uncharacteristically decisive action appears driven by the shock of last season’s close call with relegation, and as a reward for manager Roberto De Zerbi for saving the club from dropping into the second tier.

But why have they broken the bank to bring in two central midfield options, especially given the number of midfield players already at the club?

Let’s look at some radar charts from last season for Spurs players who played in a deeper, central midfield / pivot role.

Palhinha

As you would expect, Palhinha was very strong defensively – his tackling, duels and aerial battles are all very impressive. He was also good at carrying the ball, and provided a surprising amount of goal threat, which makes sense given his vital goal contributions in last season’s run in. However it’s fair to say that passing and creativity are not his strengths.

Bentancur

Bentancur showed similar ball winning abilities but without the aerial dominance or goal threat. Carrying was a positive for him too, and he also impressed with his press resistance – dribbling opponents and rarely losing possession. However, he also lacked in creative passing and contribution to build up play.

Bissouma

Bissouma didn’t get that many minutes, but when he did play he showed similar battling qualities to Palhinha, but with more care in possession. His passing was accurate, but these were mainly simple passes. He didn’t create much or even move the ball forward.

The Rest

Sarr, Gallagher, Gray and Bergvall aren’t really suited to the deep lying pivot role. Gallagher and Bergvall have very similar profiles – massively strong at carrying / dribbling and also at pressing. Sarr is relatively rounded but his talents lie further up the pitch – his pressing and goal threat stand out. Gray has played in so many roles it’s hard to analyse him.

The Missing Profile

So it’s pretty clear where Spurs were lacking last year – creative passing and build up play from deep areas. Part of that was dictated by the negative playing style of Thomas Frank, but it’s clearly also a skillset lacking in the squad.

An example of the kind of player who fits this profile perfectly is Rodri, the standout in recent Premier league history.

Rodri

And here’s new Manchester City recruit Elliot Anderson.

Anderson

They both still have ball winning attributes, but they also participate in build up play and move the ball forward through their passing. They are actually very similar, except that Rodri is more careful in possession while Anderson is more of a threat through his dribbling. Given the fact he played for a relegation threatened team who went through multiple managers with differing styles, Anderson’s performances are really impressive.

Spurs Signings

So how do Tottenham’s new signings stack up?

Fernandes

Mateus Fernandes is a massive improvement on our current options. He is more of an all rounder, marrying defensive strengths, with dribbling and the all important passing ability and creativity. His numbers are not as high as Rodri or Anderson, but he’s young and he spent the season playing for West Ham, under Nuno Espirito Santo for a large part of it, which can’t have been easy.

Tonali

At first glance Tonali seems a bit disappointing on the defensive side of the ball. But looking closer he’s more positionally smart, picking up interceptions and ball recoveries, rather than the blood and thunder tackling of Palhinha. He’s also relatively press resistant with strong showings in carrying and dribbling, married with ball security. His attacking threat both from carrying and passing looks pretty good too. Maybe not exactly £100 million worth, but he’s still a big upgrade.

Summary

Of course the statistics never show the full picture, but it looks like we have bought two players that materially improve our squad in one of its weakest areas. Arguably we have paid a lot and not got the absolute best, but given our low starting point after a brush with relegation, I think we have made some intelligent moves. It will be exciting to see how both players perform once the season gets under way.

What do you think of Spurs midfield signings? Are they an upgrade or a waste of money?

The new stadium, Manchester City and VAR – what a month

Spurs Season Review – Creating Chances and Expected Assists

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In a previous article I looked at the number of goals and expected goals Spurs players accrued last season. As you would expect, Harry Kane is easily the main goal threat. But which players create these chances? Continue reading →

Why has it taken so long for Spurs attack to hit their stride?

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Pochettino’s defence has been solid all season. Spurs have conceded a league low 14 goals; of the rest only Chelsea are below 20.

Going forward it’s not been as simple. Much like last season Spurs have struggled to break teams down in the early part of the campaign. And just like last time around, they’ve started to hit their stride mid-season. Spurs only scored 15 in their first 11 Premier League games, then 28 in the next 10.

So why is that?

Injuries to key players

The most obvious answer is the effect injuries have had on the squad. Last campaign Pochettino was very lucky, with the spine of the team available most weeks. That luck couldn’t hold forever and this season has seen long layoffs to several first team regulars – most notably Kane and Alderweireld.

The defence is more about a system, so it is easier to plug in new players, the attack is more about individuals and chemistry.

No European distractions

Our tendency to struggle in league games after midweek European trips is well documented, as is the boost teams get when they don’t have European football; see Chelsea and Liverpool this year. Our upturn in form has coincided with our exit from the Champions League. It’s not just less tiredness, it’s also the extra time on the training ground and the ability to focus.

A loss of form for some of our best performers

Last season so many of our players had stand out seasons. The anti-climax during the run in, plus a disappointing and tiring Euro’s for our England contingent, was always likely to leave its mark. Dembele and Eriksen have been notably below par and the Dane’s resurgence has been a key factor in our recent run.

A change of formation

Of late Pochettino has moved to three at the back and that has freed our most potent attacking threat, our fullbacks. They have provided the pace and width missing in the early part of the season, opening up space in the centre for Ali, Eriksen and Kane. Rose and Walker are possibly the best in the league, while Trippier and Davies have proved able deputies.

The nature of our attack

By it’s very nature Pochettino’s system relies on everyone being in sync. If one or two of our players are a little off the pace or not on the same wavelength it doesn’t work. The chemistry that sees Eriksen find Ali with a subtle flick, or Ali chip the ball to an onrushing Kane, takes time to get right. It’s operates on much finer margins than the defence.

Confidence

Even a casual 5-a-side player knows how important confidence is. One or two bad results and heads go down, the crowd gets restless, players take that second or two longer to make decisions, and worst of all, they take the safe option. There’s nothing like a run of wins and a happy crowd to fuel the kind of daring one touch attacking play we’ve seen of late. Long may it continue!

Why do you think Spurs have clicked? Do you think it will continue? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Discuss it with me on Twitter: @ABPSpurs