Tottenham fans must offer Dejan Kulusevski more credit as Euro-leading stat emerges
Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski is perhaps not offered as much credit by Spurs fans as he deserves.
Kulusevski doesn’t boast the most impressive numbers in terms of goals and assists this season.
The Sweden international has found the back of the net just five times while he has set his teammates up on just two occasions across 21 Premier League appearances so far, and supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium probably expect more from him in this department.
Due to his lack of goals and assists, fans likely don’t rate him as highly as they should. However, those same supporters need to consider that these numbers can be misleading, with Kulusevski currently at risk of becoming an undervalued member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
Kulusevski is an important player at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
At times, the 23-year-old has been sensational this season.
During the 4-1 win over Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 10 December, Kulusevski was unplayable.
As per Sofascore, he completed 90 per cent of his passes against the Magpies, with five of those key. In addition to this, he created two big chances and was accurate with the one cross and one long ball which he attempted.
Nonetheless, there have also been occasions where the Swede has struggled to impress.
Heading into the match with Newcastle, Kulusevski was coming off the back of a terrible performance in a 2-1 home defeat against West Ham on Thursday 7 December.
That night he gave the ball away 26 times, completed just two of his nine dribbles and won just six of his 22 ground duels.
It is therefore fair to say that it has been a season of highs and lows for the former Juventus man, with his manager previously suggesting that there is still “more to come” from the forward.
However, as per Squawka via their official X platform (7 February), there have been more highs than lows with Kulusevski’s contributions flying under the radar as he ranks among Europe’s best in one key area.
According to Opta data, he has created 46 open-play chances this season, with no player from any of Europe’s top-seven leagues having created more. He is level with Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah, ranked third only because he has played more minutes than his counterparts.
It is the perfect example that once people take a deeper look below the surface-level stats, they will find that Kulusevski has been one of Spurs’ most important players this season.
While he only has two assists to his name, it is not for a lack of trying and if the finishing of some of his Tottenham teammates had been a bit more accurate, he would likely have quite a few more.
He will look to continue supplying his teammates on Saturday 10 February when Spurs host Brighton in the Premier League.
In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou must keep an eye on one 17-year-old Spurs sensation after what he did this week.
For more exclusive Tottenham updates, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.