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Manchester United’s season so far has been far from convincing, with only the FA Cup available to be won.

In the Premier League, Erik ten Hag’s side sits eighth with just 31 points from 20 matches.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

With that in mind, the former Ajax boss will look to bolster his squad in January to not just save the season but also his job.

Man Utd transfers latest – Jean-Clair Todibo

Earlies this week, Rudy Galetti took to X to state that Nice are willing to let Jean-Clair Todibo go in January, amid interest from the Old Trafford outfit, alongside rivals Chelsea.

The defender, who has been described as “perfect” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, is set to cost in the region of €60m (£52m), according to Galetti.

Plenty of Premier League clubs are interested in the French star, but United are said to be in "pole" position at present after making him their priority signing.

Jean-Clair Todibo’s style of play

This season, Todibo has developed into a key player for Nice as they mount a Ligue 1 title challenge. The 24-year-old has featured in 14 matches for his side this season and is at the heart of one of the most solid defences in Europe, which has suffered just 0.53 goals per game this season, the lowest in Ligue 1.

The France international plays as the right centre-back, which is where he would play for United if he were to join. This would see him partner Lisandro Martinez, and the stats below from the 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign show why he would be the perfect partner for the Argentine.

Dribblers tackled

1.17

Top 20%

Ball recoveries

8.07

Top 8%

Touches

101.88

Top 6%

Passes completed

82.81

Top 8%

Pass completion % (short)

97.4%

Top 3%

Progressive passes

4.84

Top 17%

Firstly, Todibo is an athletic, dynamic centre-half who can comfortably operate in a high line or a low block. This suits Ten Hag’s approach, as the Dutch boss has often flicked through different styles this season. The ex-Barcelona player is also fast, which helps with recovery, complementing Martinez’s skillset as he lacks what Todibo has in abundance and vice versa.

Furthermore, the Red Devils have struggled massively with transitions this season, which Todibo’s pace will also help with. The defender can successfully enter duels with dribblers while also reading the game to pick up loose passes and cutbacks, which United have conceded plenty from this season already.

Nice’s number six is the definition of a "complete "defender – as described by Kulig – as he is also incredible on the ball, which is arguably his biggest strength.

His passes completed and touches stats show that he is comfortable in possession, while his progressive passes show that he is willing to take risks on the ball if the opportunity presents, which is much like the ex-Ajax defender – who ranks in the top 17% for progressive passes and the top 20% for progressive passes per 90.

With United struggling to progress the ball through midfield, this centre-back pairing could fix that problem, taking on the responsibility of finding the creative players higher up the field.

Overall, Todibo would elevate United to an entirely new level and even help Martinez’s strengths flourish. The duo has the potential to be one of the best centre-back pairings in the Premier League, as they offer aggression, speed, and progression. It is no surprise that the 24-year-old is United’s top target.

Stand-in captain says she will grow as leader and batsman ahead of must-win fixture for India

Annesha Ghosh in Guwahati06-Mar-20192:53

Our main focus is for the team to be ranked No. 1 – Mandhana

Smriti Mandhana, India’s stand-in T20I captain, says her initiation to leading the side with a thumping loss against England in the first match may help her perform better as a leader and batsman in the second, must-win fixture for India in the three-match series, on Thursday.”It was a really tough game to go out there, and first game as a captain you are really nervous and excited,” Mandhana said of India’s 41-run loss against England in the series opener in Guwahati. “But things did not go the way as I expected it to be. I have to accept that I was a bit nervous.”Definitely, before the second match, now that I have made my captaincy debut, I wouldn’t be nervous and I will be proactive in captaincy and in batting, [I] will be able to give a good start to India.”Mandhana’s 8-ball 2 on Monday was part of a lacklustre performance from India’s batting line-up, whose chronic infirmity in the 20-over format has worsened around relying on her and No. 3 batsman Jemimah Rodrigues for steady starts and, most of the time, squandering that.Most tellingly, the over-reliance came to the fore during India’s 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand, where designated T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who is out of the current series with an ankle injury, also had a lean patch as a middle-order batsman.Mandhana said the focus during an open-wickets session at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Tuesday and a nets session on Wednesday had been on addressing the T20I side’s biggest concern: “get the batting order right and avoid collapse”.On Monday, Mandhana had squarely pinned the blame for India’s defeat on herself, Mithali Raj and Rodrigues, who make up India’s top four, with allrounder Harleen Deol having made her T20I debut in the series opener.”As a batter who is settled, our top four, we are playing for a long time now,” Mandhana had said after the loss. “I, Mithali, Jemi have to take more responsibility, and bat more and take the team through [the finish line]. We have to give a bit of cushion to the youngsters.”On the eve of the second game in the three-match series, Mandhana’s assessment differed little. She did, however, take hope from the lower-middle order’s rearguard, which involved Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy and Shikha Pandey contributing a combined 63 runs in India’s total of 119.”The batting order,” Mandhana said, “even in New Zealand, we didn’t capitalise [on] the good start. The last match we didn’t get a good start. But one positive is how Shikha [Pandey], Aru and Deepti played at the end. That was the big positive for us.”Shikha Pandey celebrates a wicket•Associated PressPandey, the leader of India’s pace attack, was also the most economical of the five bowlers used by Mandhana, who was satisfied with the quality of fast bowlers coming into the side, despite left-arm seamer Komal Zanzad not being handed an international debut in the first T20I after running through the England line-up with a blistering three-for as part of the Board President’s XI two weeks ago.”We have really good pace bowlers coming in,” Mandhana said. “Of course, you won’t get someone like Jhulan [Goswami] because she has so much experience. It is wrong to expect a pace bowler coming in to deliver the same as what Jhulu di does for us because she is one of a kind.”I played the Board President XI’s match as well. Even I used to feel that. But seeing the pace bowlers [in that game], I think they did a brilliant job. We got almost four or five wickets in the first 10 overs. And those were all pacers. So I don’t think there is lack of depth. Only that we have to give them enough chances to be a match-winner for India.”Mandhana’s view of the fast-bowling talent on the domestic circuit comes two days after 36-year-old Goswami, the senior-most bowler in the Indian contingent, reclaimed the No. 1 ODI spot on the back of her eight wickets in the preceding series in Mumbai, which India won 2-1.”That is the position where she deserves to be,” Mandhana, the top-ranked batsman in the 50-over format, said of Goswami, while also commending Mithali Raj (No. 4 on the batsmen’s rankings), Pandey and Poonam Yadav (ranked fifth and tenth on the bowlers’ rankings respectively) for figuring in the top 10 from the second-placed Indian side.”It’s an exciting thing,” Mandhana said. “But now our goal is to get the team to the No. 1 ranking. Individuals being up there on No. 1… but it’d be much better if the team is at No. 1 on the ICC rankings.”While Tammy Beaumont, England’s Player of the Match in the first T20I, said after the game losing the toss may have worked in the tourists’ favour, Mandhana defended her decision to chase.”Definitely not [a wrong decision to field first],” Mandhana said. “I think the wicket was really good to bat on. It didn’t change at all. If the wicket changed in the second innings, then we would think that the decision was wrong. But the wicket remained the same.”Only in bowling we thought we gave 10-15 runs extra. One-sixty was quite chaseable, but none of our top-order batters got any start. I think if anyone would’ve batted until the 15th over, it would have been a different game.”

Newcastle United's attacking department is down to the bare bones right now amidst an injury crisis that has plagued the squad. Star strikers Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak were both ruled out with injury issues, leaving Eddie Howe without a centre-forward in the build-up to the international break.

During Newcastle's disappointing 2-0 defeat away at Bournemouth, Howe deployed Anthony Gordon through the middle but the results were disastrous as the £45m winger had merely one attempt on goal, registering an xG of 0.07 on the night.

Situations like this serve as a reminder to clubs to always have as much depth in each position as possible. Newcastle have had some excellent centre-forwards over the past decade, including Ivan Toney and Adam Armstrong, who never had a fair crack of the whip at St. James' Park but are players that Howe would be delighted to have in the squad right now.

Nevertheless, there is one more striker that many forgot even played for the Mags who has been ripping it up this season.

Luuk de Jong's stats at Newcastle

In January 2014, Newcastle United announced the signing of Luuk de Jong on loan until the end of the campaign as Alan Pardew sought to add further depth to his forward department. The Dutchman had been with Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga but limited game-time was the catalyst behind a temporary move to the North East of England.

Unfortunately, the striker endured a turgid time under Pardew and struggled to hit any kind of form. De Jong made his debut for the Magpies in the Tyne-Wear Derby against bitter rivals Sunderland. However, after the 3-0 home defeat, De Jong admitted his first display for the club was "terrible".

Overall, the Dutch striker failed to score a single goal for Newcastle during his half-season at the Geordie club in 12 appearances in the Premier League. De Jong's only goal contribution came in the form of an assist in a 2-1 loss at home to Swansea City and the number '9' returned to his parent club empty-handed at the end of the 2013/14 campaign.

De Jong's current form in 2023

After his loan at St. James' Park expired, De Jong went on to play twice for PSV Eindhoven, Sevilla, and even Barcelona when Ronald Koeman took charge of the Catalan club.

The most prolific de Jong has ever been is with PSV, though. Across two different spells with the Eredivisie giants, the experienced striker has scored 147 goals and recorded 75 assists in 264 games in all competitions.

De Jong bagged 14 goals in the Dutch top flight last season under Ruud van Nistelrooy but is well on his way to beating this tally in the current campaign and has already hit 17 in 21 appearances since Peter Bosz took charge, with the team running away with the Eredivisie title after picking up 12 wins from 12.

As it happens, the 33-year-old is currently outscoring both of Newcastle United's star strikers Wilson and Isak (seven goals each this season) and has been outperforming the prolific pair in a number of key attacking metrics.

Per 90 Metrics	Luuk de Jong	Callum Wilson	Alexander Isak
Goals	0.84	0.96	0.84
Expected Goals	0.8	0.9	0.73
Shots	3.85	3.01	2.65
Shots On Target	1.26	1.78	1.57
Goals Per Shot	0.15	0.23	0.27
Aerial Duels Won %	53.7%	42.1%	27.3%
Stats via FBref

Newcastle United don't need a new striker to replace Wilson and Isak in the long term but De Jong could have been an excellent squad player for the Magpies had his fortunes in front of goal been different ten years ago.

The game between Central Zone and East Zone ended due to bad light with East Zone just six runs away from the target, which prompted protest

Mohammad Isam08-Dec-2018Bad light in Bogra thwarted East Zone when they had reached within six runs of their 326-run target against Central Zone. The umpires called off play eight minutes after the scheduled 5pm ending, and announced that the match was drawn a little while later. It prompted some to protest from the East Zone dressing room.East Zone had reached 320 for 7 in the fourth innings riding on Mahmudul Hasan’s maiden first-class century, in his tenth year of first-class cricket. His 135 contained 12 fours, having faced 242 balls in just over six hours. He added 103 for the third wicket with Mohammad Ashraful, who made 64 with eight fours and two sixes. Towards the end, Enamul Haque jnr and Abu Jayed had added 27 for the unbroken eighth wicket stand when the umpires judged it had become too dark to play.On the first day, Farhad Reza’s career-best figures of 7 for 32 had helped bowl out Central Zone for 118. East Zone then took a 68-run lead after they were bowled out for 186, with seamer Shahidul Islam taking 5 for 62.Shahidul was also one of five batsmen to make half-centuries as Central Zone hit back with 393 all out in their second innings. Pinak Ghosh, Abdul Mazid, Marshall Ayub and Taibur Rahman were the others to hit fifties, though no batsman made more than 70. Ashraful took 4 for 34 with his leg-breaks.There was a less dramatic draw between North Zone and South Zone in Chattogram. Batting first, South Zone were bowled out for 329 with Raqibul Hasan making 79, Mahedi Hasan hitting 63 not out and Tushar Imran contributing 62. Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam took 5 for 87.North Zone replied with 394 all out, a lead of 65 runs. Junaid Siddique lasted a minute short of seven hours while compiling 112 off 307 balls with just two fours. He added 162 for the third wicket with Naeem Islam, who made 83. Ziaur Rahman then gave the innings momentum with 90 off 144 balls, hitting 11 fours and three sixes. He added 117 for the sixth wicket with Dhiman Ghosh, who scored 51. Veteran left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak took 6 for 126.South Zone ended the game on 248 for 5 in their second innings. Anamul Haque made 66 while Mahedi was unbeaten on 60, while Al-Amin made 75 not out.

West Ham United have suffered an alarming slump of form in the Premier League, slipping to three defeats on the bounce.

The latest of those on Saturday afternoon encapsulated their problems defensively having fallen to a 3-2 defeat against Brentford despite initially taking a second-half lead through Jarrod Bowen.

In the top flight this term, only Sheffield United, Bournemouth and Luton Town have conceded more expected goals (xGA) than the Hammers 22.60, as per Understat.

Statistically, David Moyes’ side have the fourth worst defence in the division having shipped 20 goals in 11 games and this is a statistic that must improve if they are to climb up on the table.

With January approaching, Moyes could use the transfer window as an opportunity to bolster his defensive ranks.

West Ham transfer news – Quentin Merlin

According to 90min, West Ham are interested in capturing Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin and have sent representatives to watch him at least once this season.

Nonetheless, the Hammers will need to fend off Europe’s big hitters to land his signature, with the 21-year-old said to be attracting the likes of Manchester City, Celtic, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon.

With the left back tied down to a contract till 2026, the French side isn’t at risk of losing him on a cut-price deal in the near future.

He is currently valued at £8.6m (€10m), as per Football Observatory, but on the evidence of his performances this term, Nantes will likely receive a fee much higher than the one touted.

Given Aaron Cresswell has been mooted as a possible departure in recent months, Moyes desperately needs a quality left-back addition to challenge Emerson, who is currently first-choice, and Merlin could be more than capable of supplying that.

How Quentin Merlin compares to Emerson

Dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig as “one of the most talented full-backs in France”, Merlin has proven himself as a reliable presence on the left-hand side of the Nantes defence.

The Frenchman has featured in ten Ligue 1 matches this term and has been an instrumental figure in their rise up the table, impressing with his dynamism and technical qualities.

When comparing his attacking attributes to Emerson, who has perhaps been held back by the shackles of Moyes’ system, Merlin comes out on top in most departments across the past year, including progressive passes, shot-creating actions and carries into the final third, suggesting that they could land an immense upgrade.

Statistics (per 90)

Merlin

Emerson

Shot creating actions

2.93

2.09

Carries into the final third

2.13

1.55

Progressive passes

5.17

3.39

Assists

0.11

0.04

Crosses

4.27

2.30

Key passes

1.44

0.92

Touches (Atting third)

17.45

15.98

Successful take-ons

0.69

0.54

Stats via FBref.

The above metrics suggest that the attacking output Merlin would supply is far greater than the Italian's, offering a bigger threat with his superb passing range, explosive ball-carrying and quality in the final third.

Although Emerson’s performances have significantly improved this term, West Ham could unearth a “diamond” – as described by journalist Antonio Mango – if they could manage to lure the Frenchman’s wand of a left foot to east London.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to invest huge funds into Manchester United to address one key issue, according to a positive new update regarding his imminent 25% takeover.

Man Utd takeover news

It has been a disastrous start to the season for Erik ten Hag's side, who had lost five of their opening 10 Premier League matches in the lead-up to Saturday's trip to Fulham.

Performances and results on the pitch have been nowhere near good enough, leading to huge pressure on the manager already in 2023/24, but there are also plenty of issues going on away from the playing field that are holding them back greatly.

A lot of that is surrounding the continued unpopular reign of the Glazer family, with many supporters desperate to see an end to their ownership, while the club flounders as they oversee things. The team may be struggling on the pitch, but Old Trafford also feels like an old stadium that needs lots of work done to it, and United are at risk of falling behind many of their rivals.

On the plus side, boyhood Red Devils supporter Ratcliffe is set to buy a 25% minority stake of the club imminently, which does at least represent a positive for the fans, even though it means the Glazers are staying on for the time being at least.

A new claim suggests that the Englishman is planning to make his presence felt from the off, which acts as an encouraging update.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe latest

According to a key update from The Times' Matt Dickinson, Ratcliffe is planning to invest £245m into improving the infrastructure of Manchester United, once he buys 25% of the club:

"Sir Jim Ratcliffe will commit £245 million from his own fortune to upgrading Manchester United’s infrastructure, including Old Trafford, when he completes his deal to buy 25 per cent of the club.

"The Times revealed last month that Ineos was planning to set aside funds to renovate and potentially expand the 74,310-capacity stadium, which is in need of urgent modernisation."

This will be music to the ears of many United supporters, who feel that the Glazers have done very little to actually improve the club for many years, even if they have still allowed managers to spend plenty of money on new signings.

Having been the envy of every other club in the country during the 1990s, they are now bordering on being a laughing stock and need freshening up on and off the pitch, so this Ratcliffe update is clearly a step in the right direction.

In an ideal world, he will become United's sole owner as time moves on, with his love for the club making him a far better option than the Glazers, and his decisions will likely be genuine ones that benefit the team he grew up supporting.

For now, though, a 25% share is the next best thing, and his popularity will only rise from the off if he sticks to his word to "significantly change the performance structure and personnel at the club", as well as "improve the facilities" at the club.

After knocking out Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal, third-tier side Saarbrucken pulled off another incredible feat to reach the semi-finals of the cup.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Saarbrucken beat Bayern in second round
• Pulled off last-minute winner vs Gladbach
• Face Kaiserslautern in semi-finals of cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 3. Liga team hosted Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach in the quarter-finals of the competition on Tuesday. They found themselves a goal down just eight minutes into the clash at the Ludwigspark Stadion but pulled level three minutes later. They managed to hold off the pressure from their top-flight opponents for the rest of the half and put up a better fight after the break, despite Gladbach enjoying the lion's share of possession. Incredibly, the home team managed to seal the victory when Kai Brunker popped up in stoppage time to make it 2-1.

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• WHAT BUNKER SAID

  Match-winner Bunker was elated after the game and told : "I'm just proud of everyone right now. I could just cry. I don't know what will happen today. Now we can aim for the final."

  Saarbrucken coach Rudiger Ziehl added: "The fact that we managed to do what we did is really crazy,"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gladbach are the third Bundesliga side to be knocked out by the third-tier team. After beating Karlsruher in the first round, they were paired with Bundesliga champions Bayern and emerged with a 2-1 win. They then beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the round of 16.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SAARBRUCKEN?

  Ziehl's team will come up against 2. Bundesliga team Kaiserslautern in the semi-finals of the competition. Only one Bundesliga team remain in the competition, with runaway leaders Bayer Leverkusen facing Fortuna Dusseldorf in the other last-four tie.

Liverpool secured yet another Premier League win as they recorded a rather comfortable 2-0 win over rivals Everton on Saturday afternoon.

This victory means Jurgen Klopp has lost just once against the Toffees since taking over in 2015 and the Reds continue their excellent start to the current campaign.

The Anfield side dominated proceedings, taking 26 shots to just five for the away side, while having 78% possession during the whole match and following Ashley Young’s sending-off, it was a one-way street.

On a triumphant day for Klopp and co, the German tactician could once again count on his Egyptian king Mohamed Salah to power the Reds to yet another derby victory.

How did Mohamed Salah perform vs Everton?

The winger not only received the highest Sofascore rating across both teams (8.4/10) but he also scored both of Liverpool’s goals during the tie while having four shots in total as he aimed to make the difference for his team on the right wing.

Salah may have taken only 42 touches, yet he managed to complete three key passes as he looked to create chances for his teammates.

Salah’s second goal was scored on the counter as Everton lost the ball during the dying embers of the match, and he has now netted eight goals so far this season as he aims to thrust the Reds to another Premier League crown.

Although he proved to be the difference between the teams, it was midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai who ran the show for the hosts this afternoon.

How good was Dominik Szoboszlai against Everton?

The former RB Leipzig starlet has enjoyed a wonderful start to life on Merseyside and his performance against the Goodison Park side was simply exceptional.

The Hungarian was full of energy and industry and following his first-half display, where he recorded 14 final third passes, Statman Dave claimed he was “pulling the strings” during the encounter and his second half would get even better.

Indeed, throughout the course of the match, the midfielder recorded 107 touches as he was constantly demanding the ball in order to make things happen.

His passing ability was on full display as he finished the game with a 93% pass success rate while four of these were key passes, and it’s clear they made the difference for the Reds.

The £120k-per-week midfielder did lose possession 16 times, yet he managed to take five shots in total along with succeeding with one dribble attempt and these types of performances are exactly why Klopp splashed big money to lure the £60m man to England.

Much was made of Liverpool’s need for a summer rebuild, especially across their midfield area, yet Klopp has made some excellent signings, with Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai all stamping their authority on the team.

The 22-year-old has managed to secure a regular spot in the heart of the midfield and his enthusiasm and ability has given the club a new lease of life as they aim to put last season’s disappointment behind them.

Salah was clinical today, but Szoboszlai ran the show for Liverpool and Klopp will undoubtedly be delighted at yet another derby win.

كشفت تقارير صحفية، أن نادي مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي، سيستعيد أحد أساطيره من جديد ضمن الطاقم الفني لفريق كرة القدم الأول، بقيادة الهولندي إريك تين هاج.

وجدد مانشستر يونايتد الثقة في تين هاج، من خلال موافقة السير جيم راتكليف، على استمراره بعد تحقيق بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي.

طالع أيضًا.. ماركوس راشفورد يحسم مستقبله مع مانشستر يونايتد

وحسب ما أكد موقع “AD” الهولندي، أن نادي مانشستر يونايتد وافق على ضم رود فان نيستلروي أسطورة الفريق سابقًا، كجزء من الجهاز الفني للمدرب إريك تين هاج هذا الصيف.

وأشارت التقارير إلى أن مدرب أيندهوفن بين عامي 2022 و 2023، يستعد للعودة من جديد إلى ناديه السابق من خلال مقعد المدرب المساعد لمواطنه إريك تين هاج.

ومنذ رحيله عن أيندهوفن أجرى فان نيستلروي العديد من المحادثات مع بيرنلي وكلوب بروج، وفرق أخرى في ألمانيا وإسبانيا، ولكنه وافق في النهاية على العودة كرجل ثانٍ في مانشستر يونايتد.

وأضافت التقارير إلى أن صاحب الـ47 عامًا، يريد الاستمتاع بالتحدي الذي سيخوضه مع مانشستر يونايتد، خاصة وأنه كان أحد الأساطير هناك ويعرف الأجواء في أولد ترافورد.

قضى فان نيستلروي أربع سنوات في مانشستر يونايتد، وسجل 150 هدفًا في 217 مباراة، وفاز بكل البطولات المحلية، في مقدمتهم بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي قبل الرحيل إلى ريال مدريد.

This season has been a rough one for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have been utterly ravaged by injuries, which has played a significant part in their exits from the FA Cup and League Cup, as well as their poor form in the Premier League, where they sit in 12th place.

However, this weekend finally brought some much-needed positivity, as against fellow strugglers Manchester United, the North Londoners turned up and came away with all three points courtesy of a James Maddison goal.

At his best, the Englishman can be one of the most dangerous midfielders in the league, just like Dejan Kulusevski, but surprisingly, the pair are being outscored by a former Spurs flop signed by Mauricio Pochettino and then sold for a loss almost six years ago.

Maddison and Kulusevski's seasons so far

It would be fair to say that, much like Spurs overall, this season has been full of ups and downs for Maddison.

For example, the former Leicester City star has excelled in big matches, such as over the weekend or against Manchester City at the Etihad, where he scored a brace and was named the fans’ Player of the Match.

However, he’s also been taken out of the starting lineup on several occasions by the manager, with just 22 of his 32 appearances being starts, which has seen him play just 1931 minutes of first-team football, although, in that time, he’s been able to score ten goals and provide six assists, which is really quite impressive.

In contrast to his teammate, Kulusevski has been a near constant in the first team this season, and while his performances of late haven’t been quite up to the standard of those earlier in the campaign, he remains arguably the most important player in the team.

The former Juventus star has made 40 appearances, totalling 2940 minutes, in which he’s racked up an impressive tally of nine goals and ten assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 2.10 games, or every 154.73 minutes.

However, while both players have enjoyed relatively fruitful campaigns in front of goal, they are being outscored by a former Spurs flop.

The Spurs flop outscoring Maddison and Kulusevski

While Pochettino was undoubtedly one of the best managers Spurs have had in recent history, he was responsible for his fair share of poor signings.

The likes of DeAndre Yedlin, Serge Aurier, Clinton N’Jie and Tanguy Ndombele all joined the North Londoners under the Argentine’s watch and were all incredibly disappointing.

Likewise, Vincent Janssen, who joined the club for around £19m in the summer of 2016 from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, also failed to live up to the expectations he set with his impressive performances in the 15/16 campaign.

For example, in just 49 appearances that season, the Heesch-born marksman racked up an incredible haul of 32 goals and seven assists, which works out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.25 games, so hopes were relatively high when he made his way to N17.

Unfortunately, things just didn’t work out in England, and in his first year, he produced just six goals and four assists in 38 games, which was enough to see him labelled “dreadful” by journalist John Laverty and sent to Fenerbahce on loan the following season.

Upon his return to London, he made just three appearances in the 18/19 campaign before being sold to Mexican outfit Monterrey for just £8m in July 2019.

Across three years in Mexico, the 22-capped international scored 24 goals and produced five assists in 93 games, which might not be a spectacular return, but it was good enough to earn him a move to Belgian side Royal Antwerp, where he has been a sensation.

In total, the 30-year-old poacher has scored 49 goals and provided 19 assists in 124 games for the Belgian outfit and played a pivotal role in their league-winning campaign in his first season with the club.

This season has seen the experienced marksman rack up an impressive haul of 11 goals and seven assists in just 30 appearances, which is one more than Maddison has managed and two more than Kulusevski.

Appearances

30

40

32

Goals

11

9

10

Assists

7

10

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.60

0.47

0.50

Ultimately, Spurs were probably right to cut their losses on Janssen when they did, but we can’t help but wonder how the Dutchman would fare under the ultra-attacking Postecoglou, especially in light of Solanke’s recent injury.

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