Things are changing down N17. In the transfer market last month, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy bolstered his backline with the signing of 21-year-old Radu Dragusin, warding off interest from Bayern Munich, before hijacking Barcelona's move for prodigious talent Lucas Bergvall on deadline day.
Last summer, the astute appointment of Ange Postecoglou proved the right decision after an entropic spiral over the past few years called for a shift in strategy, deals for high-profile managers such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte not working out.
There have been some bumps throughout the campaign but after finishing eighth in the Premier League last season and losing Harry Kane back in August, this will have been expected.
The Spurs squad had undergone too little change across too many years, a liminal period with no positive exit point that devolved into calamity following last year's troubles.
But now Postecoglou is shaping his team nicely and the winter market highlighted the rekindled appeal to move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, players looking to make their mark opting for north London over some of Europe's goliaths.
The work has not been done; far from it. Tottenham are already lining up an exciting transfer ahead of the summer in what would complete the midfield with a flourish.
Spurs lining up early deal
According to Italian publication Tuttosport – via Sport Witness – Tottenham have joined Juventus and Manchester United in the race for Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, whose outfit have set a €60m (£52m) asking price for his sale.
The Old Lady probably don't have the financial power to seal such a deal when the top Premier League registers interest, with the report suggesting this after revealing that Spurs and Erik ten Hag's side have made a move already.
With the Netherlands international eager to start a new chapter too, this is the perfect time for Tottenham to do the groundwork ready to land a player fit for purpose at the heart of Postecoglou's project. Indeed, it's said they are 'moving' already to try and secure the player in the summer.
Teun Koopmeiners' style of play
Postecoglou's certainly got his nous intact, mate, and will be desperate to complete his midfield with a high-class player after failing to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea for the second successive transfer window.
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The £32k-per-week Koopmeiners has been hailed as the "complete footballer" by former Ajax star Ruud Krol and seems to possess a range of qualities that make him a factory-built fit for Premier League football.
In Serie A this term, he has posted five goals and three assists from 19 appearances in the centre of the park, as per Sofascore, completing 82% of his passes and averaging 2.3 key passes, 1.3 tackles, 3.7 successful duels and 5.2 ball recoveries per game.
Moreover, as per FBref, the 25-year-old ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive carries per 90, showcasing his creative flair and aptitude at carrying the ball into promising positions to inflict damage on opposition.
Technically excellent with a high-energy approach (as his recovery rate would suggest), Koopmeiners would be an excellent addition to Tottenham's engine room, serving as a kind of alternative to James Maddison, if usually sitting deeper in his position as an “orchestrator”, as he has been labelled by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
1.
Arsenal
Martin Odegaards=
2.
Pascal Gross
Brighton & Hove Albion
3.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool
This kind of placement offers similarities to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, and it definitely wouldn't be an ill-fated move to sign a star of such attributes.
How Teun Koopmeiners compares to Martin Odegaard
Arsenal concluded the permanent transfer of Odegaard from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 for £30m, and having now bloomed into a "world-class" phenomenon – as stated by journalist Declan Carr – it's clear that his strengths are well suited to life in the Premier League.
Indeed, after playing a talismanic role in Arsenal's title challenge against the seemingly indomitable Manchester City, the Norway captain has been in spectacular showing once again, posting four goals and three assists across 20 league fixtures this season, completing 87% of his passes, averaging 2.7 key passes 1.5 tackles and 4.,5 recoveries per match.
Matches played
19
20
Goals
0.28
0.20
Assists
0.17
0.15
Pass completion (%)
82%
87%
Shot-creating actions
4.59
6.09
Progressive passes
6.19
8.68
Progressive carries
2.84
2.74
Successful take-ons
0.80
0.91
Ball recoveries
5.62
4.52
Aerial duels won
1.08
0.10
Tackles won
0.85
0.56
Interceptions
0.40
0.25
Clearances
1.36
0.20
Blocks
1.14
0.66
While he is the gold standard and it would simply be untrue to say that Koopmeiners is performing at a superior standard right now, there is little question that the Atalanta man holds his own across a spread of facets, more active in his defensive duties – crisper in the tackle – more aerially dominant and slightly more productive in key offensive areas.
Of course, the Premier League is a different pitch entirely and Koopmeiners would be met with the icy bite of English football's high-octane, unforgiving climate, but then he wouldn't be the first Tottenham star to make the move for Serie A and Postecoglou must now act.
Tottenham already boast a squad brimming with quality and Postecoglou has ushered in a plethora of new faces across the early stage of his tenure, but more work needs to be plied to rise to a position alongside those at the top of the table.
Therefore, completing the midfield with a player like Odegaard, who leads the title-challenging Gunners, is only going to be an auspicious piece of business.
With Manchester United also looking to strengthen through Koopmeiners' signing, Spurs must act fast to land their man.