Dejan Kulusevski and Arnaut Danjuma will be battling for a spot in the starting lineup for Tottenham Hotspur’s next game against Bournemouth on Saturday, according to Alasdair Gold.
Ordinarily, Kulusevski would be an almost guaranteed starter for Spurs. Since he arrived at the club in January of last year, the Swedish star has become a prominent figure in the Lilywhites squad, with seven goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances so far (Transfermarkt).
He’s had a slightly less impressive sophomore season with Spurs, however, with his progress hampered by injury earlier in the campaign.
While Kulusevski has managed seven assists this term, he has scored just two goals (Transfermarkt).
There’s a chance then, that he could lose his place in the starting lineup in the forthcoming match. That’s because Danjuma is knocking on the door for his own opportunity to get some minutes.
The Dutchman joined Spurs on loan from Villarreal in the recent January transfer window, but has struggled to make an impact. He has registered just five appearances for Spurs so far and is yet to start a game (Transfermarkt).
In his latest for Football.London, Alasdair Gold has praised the efforts of Danjuma in the recent win over Brighton and suggests Cristian Stellini may be considering starting him in the next game.
Gold notes how Kulusevski has been “poor with his final ball” of late. The Swede was replaced by Danjuma last weekend, and the latter was impressive in his “pressing” and how he offers a “direct threat to stretch teams.”
The piece also touches on how Danjuma allowed Heung-min Son to flourish on the right-hand side of the pitch in that win over Brighton.
In turn, Danjuma was also instrumental in Tottenham’s winning goal, even though he “did not even touch the ball.”
Gold recognises the fact that Danjuma has been making good runs, anticipating the movement of the ball, and opening up space for his teammates, and posits that this could lead to Stellini finally giving the 26-year-old his first Spurs start.
Spurs Web Opinion
Danjuma is clearly hungry to make an impact at Spurs and he had a great impact last Saturday against Brighton.
I reckon it’s worth giving him the starting spot this weekend and seeing what he can do against a Bournemouth side who we really should be putting under pressure anyway.