Tottenham Hotspur are performing nicely this season and there are quite a few indicators of promise that Ange Postecoglou is the correct man to steer the membership away from the malaise of latest campaigns.
Combining with chairman Daniel Levy to mix pitch efficiency with sharp and astute recruitment, Tottenham are preventing to reclaim a spot on the forefront of the Premier League, with one eye on European conquests to come back too.
Whereas impactful signings similar to James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have captivated and revived a sombre-feeling fanbase for the reason that Australian supervisor’s arrival, he has been aided by some former groundwork invested within the procurement of younger expertise.
Future Udogie, for instance, was signed from Udinese for £15m again in 2022 however spent the next marketing campaign again on mortgage with the Serie A facet, whereas Pape Matar Sarr was nurtured with a bit-part function final season earlier than being unleashed with regularity at current.
Each are outstanding gamers however the latter, Sarr, would possibly simply bloom into one among Europe’s foremost midfielders.
Pape Sarr’s Spurs efficiency in 2023/24
Tottenham signed Sarr from French Ligue 1 membership Metz in a £15m bundle again in 2021 earlier than being handed again to his former membership for the marketing campaign, very like with Udogie.
An harm disaster gave Lilywhites supporters a tantalising glimpse of the standard on the now-21-year-old Sarr’s disposal final season after he began towards AC Milan within the Champions League, excelling within the first leg on the San Siro and main Harry Kane to gush over his potential
The Three Lions skipper stated: “He is obtained unbelievable high quality. I feel you noticed as we speak he was in all places. He was breaking apart play, monitoring again, making tackles, photographs, crosses. He is a participant who has all the flexibility and he’ll solely get higher from experiences like tonight, enjoying a very good crew, a very good midfield.”
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Pape Sarr: Stats vs AC Milan (14/02/2023) |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
# |
|
Minutes performed |
90′ |
|
Touches |
77 |
|
Correct passes |
49/59 (83%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Lengthy balls |
5/6 |
|
Dribble makes an attempt |
1/2 |
|
Tackles |
5 |
|
Interceptions |
1 |
|
Duels received |
9/16 |
|
Stats through Sofascore |
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He did, nonetheless, solely earn three beginning berths within the Premier League however has taken enormous strides in his improvement since Postecoglou’s arrival, having established himself as a key cog within the centre of the park, along with his turbo-powered power and multi-skilled midfield strategy mixing properly with that of the tough-tackling Yves Bissouma.
Now, lauded as “one among these midfielders who actually causes points for opponents” by his Spurs boss, Sarr has demonstrated such prowess with three objectives and three assists apiece throughout 20 Premier League begins this time period, finishing 88% of his passes and averaging 1.1 tackles, 4.5 ball recoveries per recreation, as per Sofascore.
Furthermore, he ranks among the many high 14% of midfielders throughout Europe’s high 5 leagues over the previous 12 months for objectives, the highest 6% for assists and the highest 18% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, emphasising his adept offensive capability and ubiquity in his craft, additionally lingering again to chug balls ahead with electrical fidelity.
To place it succinctly: Sarr is an actual expertise and can rise to the very forefront of the European recreation if he continues on his present course. He is proof of an thrilling change of tack after years of mediocrity, with the Spurs academy completely booming at current.
Spurs’ most enjoyable academy stars
Sarr is a prodigious younger participant however he is not a product of Tottenham’s underbelly, although fortunately there’s a wealth of promise positively begging to burst by way of onto the senior pitch, with nobody presently enjoying for the event squad extra thrilling than Mikey Moore.
The versatile ahead, aged solely 16, has been in scintillating type this season and has scored 12 objectives and equipped seven assists from solely ten video games within the U18 Premier League. He is the actual deal.
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He is been placing in further hours.
He is not the one younger gun on the block, nonetheless, with Premier League icon Yaya Toure naming Callum Olusesi alongside Moore as one of many greatest skills down N17.
Toure was an absolute powerhouse for Manchester Metropolis and had been incomes a dwelling as a youth coach at Tottenham since his retirement, thus spending a lot time overseeing among the improvement of stars of Olusesi’s age bracket.
The Ivorian stated: “Yeah, positively. Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi are high grade U16s, they’re actually good and more often than not they had been enjoying with the 18s.”
On condition that Manchester United had a vested curiosity in poaching Olusesi from Lilywhite clutches earlier than he penned a long-term contract in north London, it is patently clear that Postecoglou may need a future star on his palms.
Callum Olusesi’s season in numbers
The 17-year-old Olusesi has not too long ago penned his first skilled contract with Tottenham having made a reputation for himself as a daily for the membership’s U18s in 2022/23 whereas nonetheless a schoolboy.
This time period, the sturdy midfielder has racked up eight objectives and 4 assists throughout the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup regardless of that includes from the centre of the pitch, and given his class and technical high quality, it would simply be that Postecoglou already has a Sarr regen on his palms.
The England U17 worldwide’s free-scoring success has positioned him in good stead for a outstanding profession down the road, although he’ll probably have to proceed his work on the present stage heading into the 2023/24 marketing campaign earlier than making a deeper mark subsequent time period, hoping to crane Postecoglou’s neck as he stands out amongst a bunch of high teenage expertise.
An innate eye for aim is unquestionably not a foul method to begin swivelling heads, and it is necessary to keep in mind that Olusesi remains to be youthful than Sarr was when the Senegal worldwide first put pen to paper with Tottenham.
He is one to regulate. If he retains working as exhausting as he’s at current, it may be a reputation on many extra lips earlier than the shut of the 2024/25 marketing campaign.
