Kulusevski upgrade: Spurs "definitely" want to sign £68m star for Frank

It was a strange old campaign for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

Ange Postecoglou led the club to European glory in the Europa League but also to their worst Premier League finish in a generation, which ultimately cost him his job.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable then to suggest that for much of the season, at least domestically, very few players stood out for the right reasons.

However, one star who stepped up during the first half of the season was Dejan Kulusevski, with his performance away to Manchester United a particular highlight.

Yet, perhaps in a sign of how ruthless the club now want to be, reports are linking them to a Premier League star who could well be an upgrade on the Swedish international.

Tottenham transfer news

Before getting to the star in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other exciting players linked with Spurs in recent weeks, such as Antoine Semenyo and Xavi Simons.

The former could be available for around £60m this summer, and if that’s the case, he might be something of a steal, as in just 42 appearances this season, he scored 13 goals and provided seven assists.

Simons, on the other hand, looks set to cost a little more at around £65m, but as he’s still just 22 years old, produced 19 goal involvements in 33 games this season and has been described as “one of the best 10s in the world”, in the words of one analyst, that might be a fee worth paying.

Yet, when it comes to the player who could come to the club as an upgrade to Kulusevski, we should be looking closer to home at Eberechi Eze.

Yes, according to a recent report from journalist Paul O’Keefe, Spurs are still incredibly interested in the Crystal Palace superstar this summer.

Speaking on a recent edition of the Last Word on Spurs podcast, O’Keefe revealed that the club “would like to do that deal” in regards to the Eagles ace and that he is still “definitely on their radar.”

However, as other reports from this month have made clear, the North Londoners will need to stump up around £68m to activate the release clause in his contract.

It sounds like it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but it is worth pursuing, even if it could be bad news for Kulusevski.

How Eze compares to Kulusevski

So, the first thing to address is that while Eze is more than capable of playing out wide, he has spent the vast majority of this season in attacking midfield, which also happens to be where Kulusevski thrived this year.

So, there is a genuine chance that if Tottenham get their man this summer, the two players will be up against one another for game time next season.

In that case, who comes out on top when we compare them?

Well, when we take a look at their raw output from this season, which is ultimately what matters more than anything else, it’s the “unbelievable” Palace ace, as dubbed by Oliver Glasner, who comes out on top.

For example, in 43 appearances, totalling 3303 minutes, the Englishman scored 14 goals – including the winner in the FA Cup – and provided 11 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

In contrast, the Swedish international scored ten goals and provided 11 assists in 50 appearances, totalling 3450 minutes for the North Londoners this term, which comes out to a good but less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.38 games, or every 164.28 minutes.

Okay then, what about when we take a look under the hood? Which star comes out on top when we compare their underlying numbers?

The former Juventus star does fare slightly better here, coming out ahead in metrics like progressive passes and carries.

Still, overall, this is another comparison he loses to the Eagles maestro, who edges him out in more relevant metrics, like expected and actual non-penalty goals, goal-creating actions, and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, Kulusevski is an undeniably talented footballer, but from his output to the underlying numbers, Eze is an upgrade, and therefore, Spurs should do all they can to sign him this summer.

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