View: Tottenham could make ideal signing for Ange Postecoglou in form of Eberechi Eze
If supporters have learnt anything from the four pre-season matches that Tottenham have played, it is the fact that the Ange Postecoglou era promises some fantastic football.
Despite not all of the results going their way during the pre-season preparations, as they were victorious twice but also tasted defeat twice, anyone who was left still snoring after the football played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season will be wide awake now.
In total, Postecoglou’s men took 115 shots across the four matches they played. For context, they took 116 shots across their final 10 Premier League games combined. This demonstrates just how different the football is set to be next season under their brand new Australian head coach.
Midfielders Giovani Lo Celso, James Maddison and Yves Bissouma, in particular, have been striding forward throughout the friendly matches Postecoglou has overseen, a stark contrast to the rigid and static nature of Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in Antonio Conte’s defensive style of play during the previous campaign.
With those in the centre of the park expected to be much more attack-minded this season, there is one player with experience in England’s top flight who the club have been linked with that they absolutely must sign.
As reported online by Alasdair Gold of Football London (9 August), those in North London are continuing to monitor the situation of Eberechi Eze, who plays on the other side of the river for Crystal Palace.
Eze’s fantastic performances for the Eagles have caught the attention of some of England’s biggest clubs, and Spurs in particular could really use a player of his profile.
The 25-year-old would slot perfectly into Postecoglou’s system as an attacking eight and could thrive in the 57-year-old’s attacking high-intensity team. Across the past calendar year, Eze has put up some of the most brilliant numbers in European football.
As per fbref, the midfielder is in the highest two percentiles for some key statistics. In comparison to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Eze was in the 99th percentile for the number of goals he scored (0.35 per 90), the number of successful take-ons he made (2.47 per 90) and the number of his successful take-ons that led to a goal (0.18 per 90).
He was also in the 98th percentile for a range of other equally impressive statistics. These included his goals and assists (0.49 per 90), his total shots (2.43 per 90) and shots on target (0.85 per 90), as well as his carries into the penalty area (0.95 per 90).
All of these statistics are attributes which Postecoglou requires from his midfielders with the former Celtic boss demanding that his players push forward and create chances high in the opposition half.
The England international also stood out in a range of other areas, ranking in the top six per cent for the number of key passes he made (2.01 per 90) and the top five per cent for the number of shot-creating actions he was involved in (4.13 per 90). He was always in and around the opponent’s half, placing in the top seven per cent for the number of touches he made in the opposition penalty area (2.86 per 90).
Eze would be a dream signing for Spurs and is certainly one that the club should be looking to get done ahead of the transfer window closing. If they miss out on the playmaker, they could live to regret it.
In other Tottenham news, a midfielder already at the club has demonstrated to Postecoglou what he is capable of.