Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs could unearth their next Dele Alli with move for “unplayable” 5 ft 9 sensation

Spurs could bring a talented player with Premier League experience into their ranks.

Even if the first part of Ange Postecoglou’s reign at Tottenham Hotspur has been mostly favorable, it has been nothing short of a wild ride thus far.

The Australian has already won three times as Manager of the Month, but the team has recently been severely impacted by a number of injuries.

Indeed, the Lilywhites had only triumphed in one of their previous five Premier League games before their victory over Nottingham Forest last Friday.

A significant portion of that can be attributed to an injury incurred by James Maddison, an intriguing summer addition. Prior to his injury, the Englishman was involved in seven goals in 11 games; however, Postecoglou’s team has suffered from a lack of creativity subsequently.

 

As such, the January transfer window will be welcomed warmly by those of a Spurs persuasion.

Tottenham’s plans for January – attacking shortlist

For the North Londoners, who are rumored to be pursuing some new forward options, this may be an intriguing opportunity.

Both Brentford’s Ivan Toney and RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda have been mentioned. But they are also keeping an eye out for an offensive midfielder.

Reports from Spain over the weekend suggested Tottenham was interested in Felipe Anderson, which may come as a surprise to some.

The Brazilian’s contract with Italian side Lazio expires next summer and as such it’s stated that Spurs could take advantage of uncertainty surrounding his future.

Fellow Serie A sides Juventus and Milan are also thought to be hovering around with the view to a potential move.

How Felipe Anderson last performed in England

Anderson had an incredibly mixed spell during his first stint in the Premier League when he was contracted to West Ham United.

Fans may recall the now-30-year-old’s dominant play in the final third during the 2018–19 campaign, when he scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 40 games across all competitions.

Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the 5’9″ English football virtuoso, who finished the next season with just one goal.

He was going to move to Italy, where he has been electric most of the time. The “unplayable” asset—as labeled by Juventus writer Adam Digby years ago—has only sometimes demonstrated that as of the previous season. In fact, Anderson recorded nine assists in addition to 12 goals. Outstanding effort.

How does Felipe Anderson compare to Dele Alli?

Such numbers in the final third have unsurprisingly seen him compared to Dele Alli. The Englishman’s career has

regrettably never reached the lofty heights we had anticipated upon winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2017.

Alli struggled, especially under Jose Mourinho, and his attempts to restart his career at Everton and Besiktas were unsuccessful.

The previous few years have sadly been marred by a variety of personal troubles and mental health challenges, but before to that, the attacking midfielder was a marvel and was’similar’ to Anderson, according to FBref.

That was mostly in the course of the previously mentioned 2018–19 season, when the Brazilian excelled on English soil.

Felipe Anderson similar players (2018/19 PL season)
#1 Andros Townsend
#2 Dele Alli
#3 Bernardo Silva
#4 Nathan Redmond
#5 Bernard
#6 Kevin De Bruyne
Data via FBref.

But how do the raw numbers compare? Well, during that season Alli was in relatively consistent form, scoring seven goals and supplying eight assists in all competitions.

Both capable of playing as attacking midfielders but also drifting into wide areas, their style of play was remarkably alike in that term.

Anderson vs Dele – 2018/19 season
Stat (per 90) Anderson Dele
Goals & assists 0.38 0.39
Progressive passes 5.65 5.47
Shots 1.72 1.92
Passes into final third 3.28 3.30
Pass completion rate 73% 79%
Shot-creating actions 4.11 3.15
Goal-creating actions 0.44 0.25
Touches 68.6 65
Carries 41.3 42.2
Passes received 48 46.7
Data via FBref.

Their work in carrying the ball and producing was strikingly similar, as the table illustrates. When it comes to how progressive they are, there’s not much of a difference between the two, even though Anderson was more active during that campaign.

They did, however, brag about their ability to slip by a defender and produce a stunning finish in the last third. Spurs would undoubtedly be signing a guy who is now many years older, but in all honesty, he appears to have improved as a player and become more clever since joining Lazio.

Anderson might emerge as a genuine force in the Premier League at his second opportunity, mirroring Dele’s influence on Tottenham in the process.

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