Tottenham Hotspur have around a week left to go to complete any more business that they would like to do before the January transfer window slams shut.
Ange Postecoglou has bolstered his playing squad with two new signings so far this month as he looks to secure a top four finish in the second half of the season.
Liverpool
1
21
48
Manchester City
2
20
43
Arsenal
3
21
43
Aston Villa
4
21
43
Tottenham
5
21
40
West Ham
6
21
35
Spurs are currently three points adrift of the Champions League places and have swooped to sign Timo Werner, on loan from RB Leipzig, and Radu Dragusin, on a permanent deal from Genoa, to improve their chances of breaking into the top four.
The club are reportedly still looking at attackers to join the group, despite the signing of Werner, as they have been credited with an interest in a Serie A marksman.
Tottenham's search for a new striker
According to Tutto Mercato Web, Spurs are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a deal to sign impressive Bologna centre-forward Joshua Zirkzee.
The report claims that Italian giants Milan and fellow Premier League sides Aston Villa and Arsenal are also keen on the 22-year-old finisher.
It states that the talented dynamo has a release clause in his current contract that would allow the interested clubs to secure his services for a fee of €40m (£34m). However, it remains to be seen whether or not Tottenham are prepared to splash out that kind of fee on the Serie A attacker.
It states that Bayern Munich, who sold him to Bologna, are entitled to 50% of his future resale from the Italian outfit and this means that they could, essentially, snap him up for €20m (£17m) if they decided to bring him back to Bavaria this month or in the summer transfer window.
Postecoglou must now push for Spurs to win the race to land his signature, as the the Dutch hotshot has the potential to be a terrific signing for the club.
He could be an exciting partner for creative whiz James Maddison to link up with during the second half of the Premier League season due to his impressive finishing and link-up play.
James Maddison's creative brilliance
The England international was brought in from Leicester, after they were relegated to the Championship, last summer and hit the ground running in North London.
He arrived as a proven Premier League performer and this allowed him to make an instant impact in midfield with his ability to score and create goals.
The 27-year-old maestro, who has missed 11 matches due to an ankle injury, produced three goals and five assists in 11 top-flight appearances for the club during the first half of the 2023/24 campaign.
Maddison has been one of the most progressive and creative midfielders in the division this season. He currently ranks within the top 1% of his positional peers for progressive passes (9.91) and shot-creating actions (8.17) per 90.
This shows that he has been one of the best in his position at progressing the play through his forward passes and has facilitated an impressive number of attacks that have ended in shots for his side.
He also ranks within the top 6% of Premier League wingers and attacking midfielders for assists (0.51) per 90 this season, which illustrates his creative brilliance at the top end of the pitch.
The former Leicester star has the quality to consistently split open opposition defences to create high-quality opportunities for his teammates to find the back of the net.
Along with his ability to create for others, Maddison also has the potential to be a lethal scorer. He ranked within the top 2% of Premier League midfielders for non-penalty goals (0.33) per 90 for the Foxes during the 2022/23 campaign – with ten strikes – and that came after he placed in the top 3% of midfielders with 0.44 per 90 the previous season – with 12 goals.
The stats that show why Zirkzee could thrive alongside Maddison
Zirkzee could be an exciting partner for the English magician in the final third as he is a dynamic centre-forward who has the quality to score and create goals in the final third.
Firstly, he has been an efficient finisher in the Serie A so far this season and could thrive on the top-quality service that Maddison has proven he can provide from midfield.
Appearances
19
18
Goals
Seven
Seven
Expected Goals
5.25
6.39
Big chances missed
One
Six
Big chances created
Eight
One
As you can see in the table above, the Bologna star has scored as many goals as Richarlison this season despite being provided with 1.14 less xG.
He has only missed one 'big chance', in comparison to the Brazil international's six, and this suggests that the talented forward could find the back of the net with regularity if Maddison can continue to create those opportunities, given that the ex-Norwich starlet has created six 'big chances' in 11 Premier League matches this term.
Zirkzee showcased his prolific potential at youth level with 40 goals in 49 appearances for Bayern Munich's U17, U19, and Youth League sides combined, and the England international's creativity could help him to become a lethal marksman once again.
The Bologna whiz, who analyst Ben Mattinson claimed is an "insane" athlete with "elite potential", also has the creative quality as a number nine to provide Maddison with chances of his own to show off his goalscoring prowess.
He has created eight 'big chances' – seven more than Richarlison – in the Serie A and ranks within the top 15% of forwards in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for shot-creating actions (3.13) per 90.
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This suggests that he has the ability to provide his teammates with opportunities to find the back of the net, along with his own finishing quality, and that is why he could be an exciting partner for Maddison as they could link up in the final third on a regular basis to punish opposition defences.
