Whilst we are still in year one of his tenure, Ange Postecoglou has brought in nine players across his two transfer windows in charge, and we’re going to rank how those players have performed so far in a Tottenham shirt.
When Postecoglou was appointed in the summer, it was clear to see the Australian needed to rebuild the Tottenham squad that had meandered their way into eighth place in the 2022/23 season. Replacing key figures such as Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane was at the top of the shopping list, and it’s clear to see the youthful direction the club has taken in conducting its business.
It is worth giving a special mention to Destiny Udogie, who has thrived in his first season in the Premier League and established himself as one of the very best in his position, however, he was signed last season so is not included in this list.
9. Ashley Phillips
Unfortunately for Phillips, he didn’t receive a single minute of football in the first half of the season, despite the absence of centre-backs through parts of the season. The 18-year-old is no doubt one for the future at Spurs and has received plaudits for his performances in his current loan spell at Plymouth Argyle, where he has started nine of the ten available games.
8. Alejo Véliz
Similarly to Phillips, Véliz has seen limited minutes since joining Tottenham and consequentially left the club on loan in January. Whilst Véliz did manage to score in the 4-2 loss to Brighton, his appearances have been limited to substitute cameos and the Argentine will hope for more game time in his spell at Sevilla for the remainder of the season.
7. Manor Solomon
Signed on a free transfer from Shakhtar in the summer, Solomon was brought in to bolster Postecoglu’s attacking options. However, a meniscus injury sustained in October has left the Israeli winger on the sidelines and only able to feature in five games this season, in which he provided two assists (Transfermarkt) in the 5-2 thrashing of Burnley. At only 23 years old Spurs will hope Solomon can get back fit and help the team sooner rather than later.
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6. Radu Drăgușin
It feels harsh placing Drăgușin this low on the list, but the Romanian defender has only seen eight minutes since joining from Genoa in January for £25 million (The Guardian). Drăgușin’s contributions so far make it difficult to judge the defender, however, the 21-year-olds impressive performances in Serie A this season suggest he would find himself higher up on this list. With the time Romero and Van de Ven missed in the first half of the season, there is ample reason to suggest we will see Drăgușin in the coming months.
5. Timo Werner
Brought in on loan in January from RB Leipzig, Werner arrived at Tottenham with a reputation from his last stint in England of poor end product. The German hasn’t lit the world alight since joining but has provided one goal and two assists (Transfermarkt) in his six appearances. Werner provides electrifying pace down the flank, but his finishing still leaves a lot to be desired, as we saw with the fantastic chance he had in the first half against Crystal Palace. From watching Werner so far, it’s difficult to justify taking the £15 million buy option in the summer (Sky Sports).
4. Brennan Johnson
The most expensive signing by Spurs this season, Johnson has received mixed reviews from fans since his arrival from Nottingham Forest on Deadline Day in the summer. Three goals and six assists in 23 matches don’t exactly match a £47.5 million transfer fee (Transfermarkt), however, the Welsh winger is still only 22 years old and clearly was touted as a good fit for the Postecoglou system. Recent super-sub performances demonstrate to Spurs fans that there is potential with Johnson, but whether he can deliver consistently going forward is the question.
3. James Maddison
The final three players on this list could be arranged into any order and it would be difficult to disagree. Maddison before his ankle injury was one of the best-performing players in the Premier League, and helped Spurs to the top of the table after ten games, as well as earning the Premier League Player of the Month award in August.
Three goals and seven assists in 16 matches (Transfermarkt) has provided some of the cover needed to replace Harry Kane’s output, and the prospect of the midfielder playing with Kane would’ve been mouth-watering. Still working back to full speed since his two-and-a-half-month lay-off, Maddison has the tools to win Spurs matches with his playmaking and long-range finishing.
2. Micky Van de Ven
Van de Ven has been a superb bit of business, arriving for £43 million in the summer from Wolfsburg (Sky Sports). The reason Van de Ven edges out Maddison on this list is because of how desperately Spurs needed to bring in a defender after conceding an atrocious 63 goals last campaign (FBRef).
The Dutchman’s skillset seems to perfectly complement his partner Cristian Romero, clocking the highest speed in the Premier League this season, and begs the question of where Spurs would be if it wasn’t for the hamstring injury suffered in the 4-1 loss to Chelsea. At only 22 years old, Van de Ven has the makings to be a mainstay in this Tottenham side for at least the next decade.
1. Guglielmo Vicario
For £17 million (Sky Sports), Spurs have done an astounding job finding their Hugo Lloris replacement in the form of 26-year-old Vicario. It became clear last season it was time for Spurs to move on from their former skipper, and the Italian has been a real gem of a successor. Vicario only having five clean sheets is a disservice to his performances, coming to the aid of Postecoglu and his high defensive line time and time again.
Despite shipping four, the home loss to Chelsea was a display that best characterised Vicario. Numerous saves and constantly having to play the ‘sweeper keeper’ role behind the infamous nine-man high line showed us what Vicario is all about, and due to the importance of finding that goalkeeper for the future, ‘Venom’ earns himself the top spot on this list.
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