Tottenham Hotspur are ready to do battle away at Sunderland this weekend, although new boss Roberto De Zerbi will have to do so without a string of first-team stars, namely James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
The question remains as to whether, despite signing a five-year deal in north London, the Italian will actually be at the helm by the time the pair are back to full fitness, with neither playmaker having played at all under Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor.
In the case of Kulusevski, in particular, this extended absence is of real concern considering Sweden have now qualified for the upcoming World Cup, with it yet to be seen whether the 25-year-old will be able to return to action before the season is out.
|
Kulusevski – 24/25 PL stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (*per game) |
Record |
|
Games |
32 |
|
Goals |
7 |
|
Assists |
4 |
|
Big chances created |
9 |
|
Big chances missed |
5 |
|
Key passes* |
2.1 |
|
Pass accuracy* |
81% |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
1.2 |
|
Touches* |
44.5 |
|
Ball lost* |
14.6 |
An elegant, delightful footballer to watch at his best, the Scandinavian genius has drifted into forgotten man territory at N17, with the Lilywhites now eyeing a deal for someone who could look to take his place.
Spurs could see bid accepted to sign £25m star for De Zerbi
All eyes are on Sunday’s trip to the Stadium Light, although looking further ahead, work is already underway regarding potential reinforcements to bolster De Zerbi’s ranks this summer.
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One mooted deal, as reported earlier this week, is a potential reunion for the Italian with on-loan Marseille man, Arthur Vermeeren, with the playmaker potentially set to leave parent club RB Leipzig for a fee of around £25m.
That is a similar fee to the one which could see Spurs prise Kulusevski’s Sweden colleague, Benjamin Nygren, from Glasgow giants Celtic, with SportsBoom naming the north Londoners among the raft of clubs who are interested in the 24-year-old heading into this summer.
As per the report, the former Nordsjaelland man is also attracting interest from the likes of Valencia, Lille, Bournemouth and De Zerbi’s former club Brighton, having enjoyed an impressive first season at Parkhead following his £1m plus switch last year.
Any deal would likely see the Scottish Premiership side make a significant profit, with the piece outlining that Celtic are likely to open negotiations at around the £25m mark, with the board not set to stand in his way if Nygren does receive an ‘unstoppable offer’.
It is likely that the versatile forward would see his £20k-per-week salary tripled at the very least, were he to move to the Premier League or LaLiga, with his agent said to have already held meetings in London last month.
Why Nygren could be another Kulusevski for Spurs
It is easy forget, considering the length of his absence, just how crucial Kulusevski was to the Spurs cause in years gone by, notably racking up 44 goals and assists in his 116 Premier League outings to date.
The silky left-footer has proved a particularly astute signing following his initial loan arrival from Juventus back in January 2022, boasting the versatility and flexibility to feature in a variety of midfield and forward roles, namely operating as a number ten or a right-winger.
That is a trait that is certainly shared by his compatriot Nygren, with the 6 foot 1 talent also comfortable all across the front line, or as something of a box-crashing number eight or number ten.
It is in that latter berth where the left-footer has sparkled so far this season, even amid a difficult and turbulent collective campaign for Celtic, now up to 19 goals already in all competitions.
15 of those have come in Scotland’s top-flight, ensuring Nygren is the second-highest scorer in the division as things stand, behind Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise.
Like Kulusevski, he isn’t exactly blessed with stellar speed or athleticism, yet he makes up for that with his goalscoring knack and creative prowess, having contributed 27 goals and assists in total across his first 51 games in green and white.
Back in Denmark, he had contributed 43 goal involvements in 107 games, while at his first club, Gothenburg, he registered 11 goals and assists in just 15 games for the Swedish side.
There have been spells in Holland and Belgium in between, although it is now where he truly looks to be emerging as a real star in the making, ensuring a £25m deal could be considered something of a bargain for De Zerbi and co.
Indeed, considering the lack of depth in De Zerbi’s forward line, particularly off the right, adding Nygren into the fold as Kulusevski mark two would represent a perfect first summer deal as far as the ex-Marseille boss is concerned.
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