Matthew Chadder

Sat 19 August 2023 11:00, UK

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou requires tricky wingers who are brilliant in one-on-one situations out wide, and the stats suggest there are few, if any, better at those things than Jeremy Doku.

During the club’s Premier League opener against Brentford on Sunday 13 August, Spurs’ midfielders were excellent and the team showed clear signs of progression under their brand-new attack-minded head coach.

Although the performances of their two wingers that afternoon would have left some supporters feeling concerned. Dejan Kulusevski and captain Son Heung-min were anonymous throughout the game and caused little threat to the Bees’ backline.

Both took up wide positions but struggled to make their full-backs sweat and did little to impact proceedings in the final third. Some fans would have left the ground wondering if Son and Kulusevski were the right type of wingers for Postecoglou.

Of course, it is extremely early in the season and the new Spurs boss’ reign and both will certainly be given time, with Son seemingly undroppable after being named captain. Nonetheless, their performances will need to improve and bringing in competition can certainly help with that.

Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon are the only two other wingers at the club who have a real chance of breaking into the first-team and neither of those two players tend to operate on the right, meaning Kulusevski has practically no competition for his place.

This can lead to complacency and a consequent drop-off in performance levels. Therefore, while many are concerned over the need for new defenders or a new striker, a signing out wide might be just as important.

And there is one name the club has been linked with who would be absolutely perfect. According to The Independent (17 August), West Ham, Manchester City and Spurs are all interested in signing Belgium international winger Jeremy Doku. The report states that West Ham are the most advanced in their pursuit, and Tottenham might want to step up.

As per the stats, Doku could be the ideal winger for Postecoglou’s system. The Australian likes his wingers to operate very wide, to allow his full-backs to make runs into the inside channel. He prefers that his wide players are quick, tricky and confident in beating their opponent in a one-on-one situation, all things that the 21-year-old Rennes winger excels at.

According to fbref, Doku was in the 99th percentile for a range of statistics, when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past calendar year. Firstly, he was in the top one per cent for the number of goals he scored (0.40 per 90) as well as his goals combined with his assists (0.57 per 90).

In regard to his passing, he was in the 99th percentile for a range of these statistics also. These include his pass completion rate over a long distance (85.3 per cent per 90), his expected assists (0.34 per 90) and the number of passes he made into the penalty area (2.62 per 90).

Most notably, his ability on the ball is where he is most devastating, and the part of his game that makes him perfect for Postecoglou. He was in the top one per cent for his touches in the attacking third (29.35 per 90) and opposition penalty area (6.16 per 90). In addition to this, he landed in the 99th percentile for the number of take-ons he attempted (10.83 per 90) and completed (6.61 per 90), as well as his progressive carries (6.95 per 90), carries into the final third (4.73 per 90) and carries into the opponent’s box (3.13 per 90).

Considering the numbers he is putting up, combined with his wealth of experience already at such a young age, which includes 14 caps for Belgium, he would be one of the most exciting signings to arrive at Hotspur Way in years.

The report in The Independent suggests he would be available for £50million which, in this market, is an absolute steal. If Tottenham and Daniel Levy don’t get the chequebook out, they could really live to regret it, especially if he is wheeling away in celebration at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a Manchester City, or even worse, West Ham shirt.

In other Tottenham News, the women’s team have announced the signing of an experienced international goalkeeper.