Tottenham Hotspur kicked off the Thomas Frank era in the Premier League with a terrific 3-0 win over Burnley in front of their own supporters on Saturday.
It was an almost-perfect start to the manager’s tenure in North London, thanks to two goals from Richarlison and a neat finish from Brennan Johnson.
The former Brentford boss will be particularly pleased with the impact that new signing Mohammed Kudus made out wide, as the winger set up two of the three goals with brilliant play on the wing.
It was Richarlison who produced the standout moment in the match, however, as the Brazil international wonderfully found the back of the net with an overhead kick finish to put himself in contention for goal of the season on matchday one.
Despite the 3-0 win, Frank will know that there is plenty more work to be done to improve the team, particularly when it comes to creativity in the middle of the park.
James Maddison (seven) was the only central midfielder in the squad who managed more than two assists in the Premier League last season, which speaks to the lack of creativity in that area of the pitch.
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James Maddison
5.91
7
Rodrigo Bentancur
1.00
0
Lucas Bergvall
0.82
1
Pape Matar Sarr
0.79
2
Yves Bissouma
0.63
0
Archie Gray
0.20
0
As you can see in the table above, the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, and Yves Bissouma offered very little when it came to creating quality opportunities for their teammates in the Premier League.
This is why the Europa League champions should be in the market to find their next Christian Eriksen before the end of the transfer window, as the Danish magician was a creative wizard during his time at the club.
The Denmark international delivered 88 assists in 305 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, per Transfermarkt, and hit double figures for assists in five seasons.
Eriksen often played as a central or attacking midfielder for Tottenham and consistently provided quality at the top end of the pitch with his inventive passing to create chances for his teammates on a regular basis.
Spurs now need to find their next version of the former Manchester United maestro, and the club are reportedly moving closer to signing a similar type of midfield talent.
Spurs closing in on Premier League midfielder
According to Miguel Delaney, Tottenham Hotspur are close to agreeing a deal to sign Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze to bolster their squad.
The reporter claims that the Lilywhites are looking at a fee of around £55m, plus further add-ons, to convince the Eagles to part ways with the midfield star, but there is no agreement in place yet.
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It had been claimed by The Telegraph that the England international was set to be absent from the Palace squad for their clash with Chelsea on Sunday, but the playmaker showcased his professionalism by blocking out the noise to play for his current club.
Journalist Jack Rosser noted that talks are ‘advancing’ with Spurs over a deal to sign Eze, backing up Delaney’s claim of a move being close, but added that the midfielder wanted to play for the Eagles rather than watch on from the sidelines against the Blues.
It is now down to Tottenham to clear the final hurdle to finalise an agreement with Oliver Glasner’s side to bring the 27-year-old over to North London before the end of the window.
Why Spurs need Eberechi Eze
Eze was once described as a “magician” in midfield by pundit Micah Richards. A magician in midfield is now exactly what Spurs need to bolster their team, which is why they need to seal a deal for the Palace star.
The England international is a versatile star, who can play in central midfield, attacking midfield, or as a winger, and is a proven performer in the Premier League who could come in to hit the ground running for Frank.
Eze has hit double figures for goals in each of the last three seasons in all competitions for Palace, per Sofascore, including 14 in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he can make a significant impact as a goalscorer.
It is his creativity, though, that could make him Frank’s own version of Eriksen, after a haul of 12 assists and 17 ‘big chances’ created for the FA Cup winners last season.
xAG
0.22
Top 31%
Assists
0.28
Top 21%
Through balls
0.38
Top 25%
Key passes
2.02
Top 18%
Shot-creating actions
4.69
Top 11%
Successful take-ons
2.33
Top 10%
As you can see in the table above, Eze ranked highly among his positional peers in the Premier League when it came to creating chances for his teammates.
These statistics, along with his ‘big chances’ created and assist tally, show that the 27-year-old star is the kind of creative midfielder that Spurs are currently lacking, particularly with Maddison out for a significant period of time with an ACL injury.
He has proven that he can create chances at an impressive rate from the middle of the park in the Premier League, whilst also carrying a big threat as a goalscorer, which suggests that the quality is there for him to be Frank’s own version of Eriksen.
At the age of 27, Eze is also in the prime years of his career and Tottenham could be signing him at the perfect time, as he has found consistency in his play in the final third, as shown by his terrific output last term.
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