Just like last year, this season has been a rollercoaster Tottenham fans.
One week, the North Londoners look like the best team in the country and they’re coming apart Premier League champions 4-0, and then the next, losing at home to winless Ipswich Town.
Andze Postecoglou has turned his side into great entertainers but has been unable to tackle their problems consistently, and if not for the incredible Dejan Kulusevskithings could look a lot worse right now.
So fans should be delighted with recent reports linking them with a player who could mirror the Swede’s journey at Spurs and be an incredible upgrade to James Madison also.
Tottenham transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught OffsideTottenham Hotspur are one of a number of top clubs keen on signing Belgian sensation Charles De Ketelaere.
Along with the Lilywhites, the report claims Liverpool, West Ham United, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City and Aston Villa are interested in the Atalanta star.
That number of top clubs vying for the talented playmaker is undoubtedly far from ideal for the North Londoners, but the good news is that history claims he is valued at just £40m, which could prove to be a real bargain. deal for someone of his quality. .
It could still be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given De Ketelaere’s impressive ability, it’s worth pursuing, especially as he could be the next Kulusevski and would be an upgrade on Maddison.
De Ketelaere’s comparisons with Kulusevski & Maddison
So before we look at how De Ketelaere measures up to Maddison, it’s worth looking at the reasons why his signing will mirror Kulusevski’s.
The first is that, like the Sweden international, the Atalanta star would be on his way out of Serie A, similar to the Lilywhites star’s move. from Juventus in 2022.
The second, more sarcastic point of comparison is that, like the Stockholm-born star, the Belgian gem is an incredibly talented striker who can and has, played everywhere from center forward on the wings and throughout midfield.
Finally, like Kulusevski, the former Club Brugge prospect is just an incredibly fun player to watch and has that increasingly rare ability to send fans off their seats with a superb piece of skill, an unreal goal or a precise pass.
With that being said, having spent most of this season playing in an attacking midfielder role, the ‘wonderful’ talent such as dubbed by journalist Dougie Critchleyit would probably come as the competition for Maddison was set to move to N17, and unfortunately for the Englishman, we think he would displace him, and quite easily.
|
De Ketelaere vs Maddison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
||
|
Appearances |
23 |
23 |
|
Minutes |
1469′ |
1415′ |
|
Goals |
8 |
7 |
|
It helps |
9 |
5 |
|
Goal contributions per match |
0.73 |
0.52 |
|
Minutes per Target Participation |
86.41′ |
117.91′ |
|
All stats via Transfermarkt |
||
For example, in just 23 appearances this season, the 23-year-old “diamond”, as compiled by talent scout Jacek Kulighas scored eight goals and provided nine assistswhich equates to an impressive average of being involved in a goal every 1.35 matches for the Bergamo side.
Instead, the former Leicester City star has scored seven goals and five assists in that many games, which equates to an average goal involvement every 1.91 games.
Finally, Postecoglou could rely on the Bruges-born dynamo more than his current co-captain as he has missed the most games in a season. the injury is only tenwhich is far from Englishman’s fitness record.
Ultimately, while Maddison is an incredibly gifted footballer, De Ketelaere looks to be even more so, and given his valuation isn’t outrageous, Daniel Levy and Co should do all they can to bring him to the N17 .
