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The first half of the season was all about the rise and subsequent fall of Ange Postecoglou‘s swashbuckling Tottenham team.
Spurs had looked like title contenders in the early stages of the term, unbeaten in their first nine league matches. However, four consecutive games without a win later saw them fall out of the top four.
That said, as 2023 drew to a close, they were still only a point behind bitter rivals Arsenal who currently sit in fourth spot.
Injuries have ravaged Postecoglou’s side but fortunately, Johan Lange and Co now have a transfer window to sink their teeth into.
Tottenham’s January transfer window plans
One area the club are looking to strengthen is the centre of defence with Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin having already reportedly agreed personal terms with the club.
Lange also has plans to bolster Spurs’ midfield, with Borussia Monchengladbach powerhouse Manu Kone lined up for a potential move to the Premier League.
That’s according to Rudy Galetti who suggested in the dying stages of 2023 that Tottenham were one of the sides interested in making a deal happen. They will, however, face the arduous challenge of fighting away PSG.
A deal won’t come cheap with Transfermarkt currently rating Kone at a valuation of £31m. It’s expected he may well cost a fair bit more than that though.
How Manu Kone compares to Mousa Dembele
Try as they might, Spurs have struggled to replicate the sincere impact that Mousa Dembele had on the spine of their team.
The likes of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur have been signed in a bid to offer similar attributes but truth be told, neither are cut from the same cloth.
You only need to look at how some in the game regard the Belgian to understand his impact at White Hart Lane.
Indeed, Jack Wilshere once stated: “You couldn’t get the ball off him, his dribbling was unreal.” There was finer praise from Kyle Walker who said: “Dembele was probably the best player I’ve ever seen play football.” As for Eric Dier, he aptly suggested he was a “monster”.
Arguably one of the best press-resistant midfielders to grace English football, Dembele was perhaps ahead of his time. Though, in Kone, Postecoglou could have a like-minded player at his disposal.
Detailing the Frenchman’s playstyle, scout Antonio Mango commented: “Strong stance when receiving the ball, fantastic ball-carrier & extremely difficult to overturn. One of the best in Europe. Koné very rarely loses possession & always looks to play forward, that’s key.”
That certainly sounds a lot like Dembele, but let’s compare some of the finer details a bit more closely.
Manu Kone vs Mousa Dembele |
||
---|---|---|
Stat (per 90) |
Kone (2023/24) |
Dembele (2017/18) |
Progressive Carries |
2.35 |
3.16 |
Progressive Passes |
3.24 |
10.1 |
Expected Goals (xG) |
0.05 |
0.02 |
Pass Success Rate |
88% |
92% |
Key Passes |
0.88 |
0.86 |
Shot-creating Actions |
2.50 |
2.39 |
Tackles Won |
1.18 |
1.15 |
Tackles & Interceptions |
3.24 |
3.30 |
Take-ons Attempted |
5.44 |
3.88 |
Carries into final 3rd |
2.06 |
2.82 |
Stats via FBRef. |
While Dembele tallied up a rather ridiculous number of progressive passes per game during the 2017/18 campaign, the two players are largely very similar. Their key pass rate and number of shot-creating actions are nearly identical while they both love to attempt take-ons and carry the ball into the final third.
Postecoglou certainly has some fine ball progressers in his side at the moment, chiefly the likes of James Maddison and Heung-min Son but there is still something lacking from the midfield. Kone could bring that to Spurs, just as Dembele did all those years ago.
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