Tottenham Hotspur swooped to appoint Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach at the end of the 2022/23 campaign after his treble-winning season north of the border.
The Australian head coach was brought in from Celtic and backed in the summer transfer window, with the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Manor Solomon, Guglielmo Vicario, and Brennan Johnson all coming through the door.
Injury and suspension issues have caused problems for Spurs throughout the season but they are currently fifth in the Premier League and one point outside of the top four as it stands, as they look to compete for a place in the Champions League for next term.
Liverpool
1
45
Aston Villa
2
42
Manchester City
3
40
Arsenal
4
40
Tottenham
5
39
West Ham
6
34
The January transfer window opened for business last week and have already brought in Timo Werner on loan from German side RB Leipzig, whilst Radu Dragusin is closing in on a permanent switch from Genoa for a fee in excess of €30m (£26m).
Spurs transfer news – Morgan Gibbs-White
Postecoglou may not be done there with those two additions, though, as the head coach could look to bolster his options in the middle of the park.
At the end of 2023, The Daily Mail named Nottingham Forest central midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White as one of the players on the club's radar heading into January.
They claimed that Tottenham had sent scouts to watch him in action for the Tricky Trees against Manchester United on the 30th of December.
The England U21 international scored the winning goal, as shown above, in a 2-1 victory for his side with a stunning finish from the edge of the box in the 82nd minute to secure all three points for his side.
It was reported by The Daily Mail that Spurs wanted a centre-back, a forward, and a midfielder in January. They already have the forward – in Werner – and look set to secure the centre-back – in Dragusin – and that leaves a midfielder as the last piece of business on their to-do-list.
Tottenham should now push ahead with their interest in Gibbs-White as the impressive gem is a proven Premier League performer who also has the potential and room to improve and develop over the years to come.
The club could repeat the masterclass they played with Maddison last summer by looking further down the league to land a terrific creative midfielder.
Maddison's season in numbers
The England international is currently out of action with an ankle injury that has caused him to miss ten matches but his start to the campaign was electric.
Spurs snapped him up on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £40m from Leicester City after they were relegated to the Championship last year.
Cole Palmer
1
Phil Foden
2
Heung-min Son
3
Mohamed Salah
4
Julian Alvarez
5
As you can see in the table above, Maddison's impressive start to the season has kept him in excellent company as his statistics have been similar to some of the best players in the division, including teammate Heung-min Son.
The former Foxes star currently ranks within the top 1% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive passes (9.91) per 90 and the top 1% for shot-creating actions (8.17) per 90. This shows that he has been one of the most progressive and creative players in his position in the division this season.
Maddison, who has racked up three goals and five assists in 11 league games this term, arrived in North London off the back of a return of ten goals and nine assists in 30 top-flight matches for Leicester during the 2022/23 campaign.
He had, therefore, already proven himself in the Premier League for a team competing at the opposite end of the table and this allowed him to hit the ground running for Spurs before his ankle injury.
The statistics that show why Spurs should sign Gibbs-White
Forest signed Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2022 in a deal that could reach £42.5m including add-ons and he has been a terrific addition to their squad.
During the 2022/23 campaign, the English whiz racked up five goals, eight assists, and nine 'big chances' created in 37 Premier League appearances, to help his side avoid relegation from the top-flight.
He ranked within the top 16% of the league's attacking midfielders and wingers for Expected Assisted Goals (0.24) per 90, which also placed him within the top 6% of forwards.
This season, Gibbs-White has chipped in with two goals and three assists in 20 Premier League games. The talented gem has also created five 'big chances' and produced 1.8 key passes per match in that time.
U23 scout Antonio Mango hailed him as a "menace" in the final third and described his style on the pitch as "arrogant", which suggests that he could carry the same swagger that Maddison carries himself with in matches.
His form at Championship level for Sheffield United during the 2021/22 campaign, prior to his move to Forest, also indicates that he has another level to get to at the top end of the pitch.
Gibbs-White, who still has plenty of time left to develop and improve at the age of 23, racked up 11 goals, nine assists, and 16 'big chances' created in 35 league outings for the Blades, on loan from Wolves.
This suggests that the potential is there for the 23-year-old ace, who can play as a number eight or ten, to reach Maddison's level of contributions in terms of goals and assists.
It would be a gamble, given that he is yet to reach the very top end of those statistics in the Premier League, but it is one that could be worth it if Gibbs-White fulfills his potential and turns out like the former Leicester star has.
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Therefore, Postecoglou could repeat his Maddison masterclass by swooping for another mercurial English playmaker from a team struggling at the bottom of the table this month.