Here we take a look at how Ange Postecoglou's dream Tottenham midfield could line up come next season following his appointment as Spurs head coach
Midfield will be one area Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham look to strengthen ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season. Already boasting a number of quality midfielders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Lilywhites will aim to bolster the numbers even further.
Strength in depth is going to be key heading into the upcoming campaign as the new head coach does like to operate with three midfielders in his 4-3-3 setup. As he does also switch his tactics to 4-2-3-1 at times, football.london understands that Tottenham are looking to sign someone who can come in and offer a versatile option for both systems.
Tottenham should get plenty of joy from Postecoglou's formation of choice next season as the midfielders in his Celtic team lightened the load on those playing ahead of them by regularly chipping in with goals and assists. A key feature of Postecoglou's midfield is that two of the midfielders are given licence to push upfield and offer support in attack, with the other midfielder keeping his position in the holding role as he is joined by the inverted full-backs coming inside.
As Celtic captain Callum McGregor was the midfielder who stayed put, this allowed the likes of Reo Hatate, Aaron Mooy, David Turnbull and Matt O'Riley to get forward when they were operating in the more attack-minded midfield roles. Hatate was involved in 20 goals after registering nine goals and 11 assists, Mooy (seven goals and 11 assists) and O'Riley (four goals and 14 assists) both had 18 goal involvements and Turnbull 12 following five goals and seven assists.
Getting plenty out of his midfielders, the hope is that Tottenham's midfielders will be able to have a similar impact under Postecoglou next season. So what exactly could Postecoglou's dream Tottenham midfield look like next season? football.london takes a look below.
It could be the 2023/24 season when Tottenham finally see the best of Yves Bissouma. Joining from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £25million deal that could potentially rise to more than £30million with various add-ons, the Mali international had a year to forget at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Restricted in terms of minutes with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur ahead of him in the pecking order, Bissouma also struggled with the tactical aspect of what Conte wanted from his midfielders. Then needing to go under the knife at the start of February to repair a stress fracture to his left ankle, it wasn't until the final three games of the campaign when the 26-year-old returned to the pitch.
The arrival of Postecoglou could be the making of the ex-Brighton man, with Tottenham potentially set to see the Bissouma who wowed on a consistent basis at the Amex if he's given a run in the team.
The 2022/23 campaign really could have panned out so differently for Tottenham had Bentancur not sustained a season-ending injury at Leicester City in February. Making a huge impact in his first few months at the club as he helped the team qualify for the Champions League following his permanent switch from Juventus, the Uruguayan continued to go from strength to strength in the first part of last season.
Not only a calm and composed presence in the middle of the park, the 25-year-old also had a huge impact in the final third after notching some key goals. Hitting six in total in 26 appearances, Bentancur scored a crucial one against Leicester in September that swung the game in Spurs' favour after winning possession and going on a driving run, with other vital goals coming against Sporting CP, Bournemouth and a match-winning double vs Leeds United.
Tottenham have been crying out for a creative midfielder for quite some time. In fact, since January 2020 to be precise following Christian Eriksen's exit to Inter Milan.
It is a must in the summer transfer window, especially with two of the three midfielders in Postecoglou's midfield expected to push forward and contribute with goals and assists on a regular basis. Leicester's James Maddison appears to be the choice for many as an exit from the King Power Stadium looks a certainty following the Foxes' relegation to the Championship.
However, Spurs won't have it all their own way in their pursuit of the player who is valued at £47million by Transfermarkt. Newcastle United and Arsenal have both been linked with the England international, with the aforementioned teams able to offer the 26-year-old Champions League football, something Tottenham cannot after missing out on Europe altogether.
Both not part of Conte's thinking last campaign and allowed to depart, a change in management could potentially see them come in from the cold. However, it has not worked out for either of the duo in their four years at Tottenham following their big-money moves and there is no guarantee the arrival of Postecoglou will totally transform the players for Spurs.
The Australian will take a look at all his squad in pre-season, though, and get his plans in place for the coming campaign. If they are not going to be in his plans, Spurs need to try and sell both permanently as both parties ideally just need to go their separate ways after four years.
Postecoglou's dream Tottenham midfield: Bissouma, Bentancur, Maddison
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