After a rough few weeks in the Premier League that saw the club lose to fierce rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur finally got back to winning ways over the weekend thanks to a 2-1 home victory over Vincent Kompany’s Burnley side.
It wasn’t a vintage performance from Ange Postecoglou’s side, but they got the job done. The game saw summer signing James Maddison get back amongst the action, with the Englishman providing the assist for Micky van de Ven’s winner.
However, it hasn’t been the campaign many were hoping for from the former Leicester City man, and with the summer window approaching, Daniel Levy and Co could be about to splash the cash to land a player who could supercharge Son Heung-min’s numbers up top.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a report late last week from Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Crystal Palace sensation Eberechi Eze and are actively ‘monitoring’ his situation in South London.
The bad news for the Lilywhites is that the same report also claims that Manchester City have previously expressed an interest in the talented midfielder, suggesting that a tug-of-war over the Englishman could materialise in the summer.
However, a recent report from Football Insider has revealed that the Eagles would be willing to listen to offers in excess of £70m for the former Queens Park Rangers star this summer, which could make a move for him slightly more straightforward should City be even moderately hesitant to spend that much.
Ultimately, bringing Eze to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer will require intense negotiations or a significantly hefty fee. Still, given his immense quality, Maddison’s uninspiring form, and the fact that he could supercharge Son, it looks like a deal worth pursuing.
How Eze could supercharge Son
Now, if the Lilywhites were to secure Eze’s services ahead of next season, the fact he prefers to start in an attacking midfield role suggests that he would push Maddison out of the starting lineup, but how do the pair compare this season?
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Eze vs Maddison |
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|---|---|---|
|
Players |
||
|
Appearances |
30 |
28 |
|
Goals |
9 |
4 |
|
Assists |
5 |
8 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.46 |
0.42 |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt 23/24 |
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From a recent performance standpoint, the Palace ace has been slightly more productive. In his last 30 games, he has scored nine goals and provided five assists. In comparison, the Spurs ace has scored four goals and delivered eight assists in his last 28 games.
Moreover, since Eze’s return to fitness in early March, he has scored four goals and provided two assists in ten league games, while Maddison has managed just one goal and two assists in the same period.
So, while the former Foxes man has experienced quite a dramatic falloff in 2024, the former QPR star has seen an uptick in form, likely because he is finally playing under a progressive manager in Oliver Glasner, suggesting he would flourish under a manager like Postecoglou.
That said, how well would the 25-year-old work with Son?
Well, when looking at Understat, both midfielders are producing around 0.29 expected assists per 90 this season, while the South Korea international is still massively overperforming his expected goals figure of 0.38 per 90. This means that bringing in the Palace man for the 27-year-old wouldn’t have a detrimental impact on Son’s service.
However, the Greenwich-born attacker’s expected goal figure per 90 this season is 0.41, while his potential competition’s is just 0.24.
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The important underlying numbers |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Players |
|||
|
Expected Assists per 90 |
0.29 |
0.29 |
0.37 |
|
Expected Goals per 90 |
0.41 |
0.24 |
0.38 |
|
All Stats via Understat for 23/24 Premier League |
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This key difference highlights how the Palace star, who Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil described as one of “the best in the Premier League”, could supercharge Son. His increased goal threat could open up more space for the 31-year-old to exploit, and his finishing ability would allow the former Bayer Leverkusen ace to rack up far more assists than he has this year.
Ultimately, while Maddison is a talented player, his drop-off this year has been dramatic, and while Eze might produce the same expected assist figure as him, the fact that he is a far bigger goal threat should help juice Son’s overall output.
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