Data Analysis / Visualization // Tottenham Hotspur Transfer Signings — Summer 2022
The dust has now settled on the summer transfer window of 2022 with Premier League clubs spending over £2.1bn collectively which is a new record. Both Chelsea and Manchester United spent over £200m each and Nottingham Forest brought in 21 new players. Another team who was fairly active in the transfer market were Tottenham Hotspur who, for once, started getting business done fairly early on in the window bringing in the likes of Ivan Perišić and Yves Bissouma.
This article aims to briefly analyse the new Spurs signings compared with players who played in their respective positions last season. The main source of the data comes from FBREF, meaning the data for Djed Spence is quite limited for comparison purposes. The top 5 leagues are defined as the Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A. Without further ado, lets analyse those signings.
Goalkeeper
Fraser Forster
Fraser Forster joined on a free transfer from Southampton and will seemingly be the clubs number two. From a personal point of view, I would say he is a step up from Pierluigi Gollini, who I wasn’t too convinced by, and is similar to Joe Hart. Forster’s been in and out of the Southampton team in recent seasons but has been a solid goalkeeper for them in the past.
Southampton finished 15th last season, just 5 points above the relegation zone, and understandably, Forster faced many shots on goal. This subsequently kept his clean sheet percentage low compared with other goalkeepers in the league. It appears Forster favours the longer ball rather than playing out from the back, and has a solid crosses stopped percentage. Sometimes Tottenham don’t look too comfortable playing out from the back so, by playing a longer ball, this may ease the pressure on the defence. His Post-Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) is one of the better in the league as well. This looks at how likely a goalkeeper is to save a shot. Again, Forster would have likely faced more shots than most of his counterparts due to being at the lower end of the table. He finished with a PSxG+/- of -0.06 per 90 for the season which isn’t too bad in the grand scheme of things.
Comparing Forster with Spurs’ current number one, Hugo Lloris, it can be clearly seen that Forster was more active due to the number of shots on target he faced per 90. Lloris’ clean sheet percentage is much higher and his save percentage is slightly better than Forster’s, as well as corner kick goals against but, apart from that, there is not too much between the two goalkeepers per 90. The noticeable difference is that, as stated previously, Forster does prefer to play the ball longer. However, Lloris appears to complete more passes launched suggesting that Forster’s long kicks are less accurate. As a number two, there won’t be much of drop in quality, in my opinion, when Forster comes in to deputise for Lloris, which will most likely be in the domestic cups.
Overall, I would say that it was a smart piece of business bringing in Fraser Forster as a back up, who has proven Premier League experience as well as the odd cap at international level too.
Wing/Full backs
Ivan Perišić
Ivan Perišić was another player brought in on a free transfer, this time from Inter Milan. Perišić has had a decorated career winning the Bundesliga twice, Serie A once, as well as the Champions League. Bringing in a proven winner can only improve Tottenham. Bringing in a left wing back was needed as Danny Rose has never really been replaced. Ben Davies has moved in more centrally, Sergio Reguilón showed promise when he first joined but never really kicked on, and Ryan Sessegnon is still finding his feet at Spurs I feel.
Looking at the graphic above, Perišić will certainly bring an attacking element to the team which Antonio Conte likes from his full backs. He was one of the most prolific crossers of the ball last season compared with other defenders, as well as being in the top percentile for progressive carries and carries into the final third. Additionally, he provided numerous assists, 6 overall, from an xA of 8 which is a slight underperformance. However, this does highlight his willingness to get forward and be effective in those positions. With the start of this season in mind, he has already shown he can do this by taking corners with either foot as well as already providing 2 assists in 6 league games. Defensively, nothing really stands out on paper. He does apply the press regularly but not win them too often compared with his counterparts elsewhere, as well as not winning too many tackles against the dribble. This could mean that Perišić could get caught out defensively.
Comparing Perišić with last seasons two main left back choices, Reguilón and Sessegnon, it is clear to see that the attacking threat from the wing back position will be greatly improved. He provided more assists last season than either of them, and can bring the ball forward through a variety of different ways whether that be through dribbling, carrying, or passing into the final third. This can help put Tottenham on the front foot in games. Defensively, there would have to be a compromise, especially in comparison with Reguilón who won more tackles, had more interceptions, and successfully applied the press better too.
I would say that signing of Perišić is definitely a good move for Spurs, he brings experience with him, that winning mentality, and an attacking threat from defence which is a key part of a Conte formation.
Djed Spence
Djed Spence joined from Middlesbrough for around £20m after a successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season where he won the Championship Play-Offs with them. He will come in and seemingly compete with Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal for that right wing back spot. He is a welcome addition to the club with Doherty and Emerson failing to put down consistent performances last season.
As this data analysis was conducted using a free data source in FBREF, there are limitations with it. One of those limitations is that less data is available for the Championship compared with the top 5 leagues. Therefore, I was unable to create worthwhile data visualisations to analyse and compare with the likes of Doherty and Emerson.
In terms of passing attributes, there is no data available apart from assists in which Spence got 4 last season, matching Doherty’s tally and surpassing Emerson’s total of 1. With defensive actions, only tackles won and interception information was available and in my opinion, this is too little to be able to review Spence’s season last season and compare him with Tottenham’s other right wing backs. There is slightly more data available under miscellaneous stats but overall, I don’t think it would be a worthwhile overview of Djed Spence with the limited data available.
However, with his successful season last season, I am excited to see what he can bring to this Spurs side under Conte’s management.
Iyenoma (Destiny) Udogie
Destiny Udogie joined Spurs for an initial £15m but has been sent back out on loan to Udinese for the 2022–23 season. Last season was the 19 year olds first full season so another season in Serie A should further help his development. He is another left wing back which would suggest that no matter how successful Reguilón’s loan is at Atlético Madrid, there probably is no way back for him as he fell behind Sessegnon in the pecking order last season. This is definitely one for the future, with Perišić being in his 30’s, and Sessegnon being in and out of the team.
Udogie won a high number of tackles compared with his fellow defenders and regularly applied pressure. However, percentage wise, tackles won against the dribble were not too high in comparison. The same with successfully applying pressure also applies. For me, it shows that he has that work ethic and will put the effort in for the team, it just might take a little time to hone those skills in. Furthermore, similar to Perišić, he can be affective going forward. His carrying of the ball looks encouraging and assist numbers are encouraging too. For his first full season in Serie A, Udogie looks like a promising wing back. Hopefully getting another full season under his belt will help him improve further before he links up with Spurs next summer. He already has 2 goals in 4 games this season as well.
The match ups between Udogie and last seasons left backs, Reguilón and Sessegnon, show that there is nothing too dissimilar between them. Udogie’s pass completion is better than the two of them, he’s won more tackles, and is a better dribbler of the ball. This helps when doing the attacking part of being a wing back, bringing the ball forward and being able to find a pass. However, defensively, Reguilón topped clearances, interceptions, successful press%, tackles won against the dribble whilst Sessegnon tended to apply pressure more regularly. These are definite areas of improvement for Udogie in this upcoming season to become an all round wing back.
Conte does see him as a player for the future and I believe that he will go on to improve, which he has already started to show at the start of this season.
Centre Backs
Clément Lenglet
Clément Lenglet has been a decent defender for club and country in recent years but fell out of favour at Barcelona last season, only making seven starts for the club. He signed on loan for the season with no option to buy so Barcelona still value him of some sorts.
It is no surprise that his passing stats rate very highly against other defenders in the top 5 leagues due to the way Barcelona play their football. This does bode well for Tottenham as it means he is comfortable playing out from the back and being on the ball. As mentioned earlier, I’ve not always been convinced that Tottenham are a team that play out from the back comfortably, sometimes finding themselves in danger quickly so, by bringing in someone who is used to doing that can only benefit Spurs. He looks defensively good as well with a very good successful press percentage and winning tackles against the dribble although, he can regularly commit a foul. The penalties conceded can be a bit misleading as he did only give one penalty away last season so it’s nothing drastic to worry about. Ben Davies is currently the only other left footed defender that can play on the left side of the back three so, Lenglet can provide cover as well as competition in that place. If he can regain his form prior to last season, then this could be a very good signing for Tottenham this season.
As expected, Lenglet’s passing stats are better than Davies’ but there isn’t too much in it, especially with short passes completed%. In terms of playing the longer ball, for example, Lenglet would be a better option so that the variety is available instead of consistently playing out from the back. Defensively, Lenglet’s stats are also better than Davies’ meaning that he could provide a bit more solidity at the back with the likes of Cristian Romero and Eric Dier. The only real comfortable margin Davies has is with aerial duels won% which could come in handy this season with the likes of Erling Haaland now in the league.
I do think Lenglet will be a good signing for Tottenham despite the hesistancy from some fans surrouding his signing. Davies has also vastly improved since Conte has come in so, by now having some competition for that place, this can help improve Spurs’ defence.
Cristian Romero
Over the summer, Cristian Romero’s permanent transfer was confirmed following his loan spell last season. The final cost was around £42m in the end from Atalanta. He was one of Tottenham’s standout players last season and the graphic above explains just why. Spurs had needed a solid centre back following the departures of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld and, in my opinion, definitely found one in Romero.
Defensively, he was one of the highest performers across the top 5 leagues. Putting in numerous tackles, and winning those tackles, putting pressure on the ball, and intercepting the ball cancelling out attacks. These are all important in the art of defending and with him only being 24 as well, he still has time to improve and become an even better defender. He’s not afraid to put in the dirty work, he’s not afraid to put in a tackle, and his style of defending is perfect for the Premier League. The stats really do speak for themselves and it was a no brainer to take up the ‘to buy’ option following his loan move. Not much went well under Nuno Espirito Santo’s reign but, bringing in someone like Romero has to be congratulated.
For the most part, last season’s back three all performed relatively similarly. However, Romero does come out on top as a better tackler than both Davies and Dier. Romero appears to be putting himself about more than the other two. These graphics do show a level of consistency across the back three which shows that there is no weak link there. Having a solid defence is the building block for creating a successful team.
Romero is definitely a player Tottenham have needed and he is probably the best centre back they have at the club now. As with Davies, Dier too has also improved since Conte took over. With these improvements in mind, and the additions of the likes of Spence/Lenglet/Perišić, Tottenham’s depth and strength has undoubtedly improved at the back and could be a pivotal factor with Spurs looking to regularly finish in the top 4 again and get their first trophy since 2008.
Midfielder
Yves Bissouma
Yves Bissouma joined Tottenham for an initial £25m from Brighton & Hove Albion. The centre of midfield is an area that Spurs did need to get right after it didn’t really work out for either Tanguy Ndombele nor Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks has failed to progress. All of whom are subsequently out on loan this season. Bringing in Bissouma was imperative, he adds depth and quality to the midfield alongside Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur as well as the promising Oliver Skipp.
As can be seen from Bissouma’s percentile graphic, he is more of a defensive midfielder rather than an attacking one but, this will help bolster the defence when the wing backs are on the attack. The majority of Bissouma’s defensive actions all rate highly compared with midfielders in the top 5 leagues. He puts in tackles and more often than not, he’ll win them, although he does not apply the press as much as others but, when he does, he is rather successful and he’s also great at clearing and intercepting the ball. These stats hint that paying just £25m for him, in today’s market, could turn out to be quite the steal. This will be a big plus for Tottenham if Bissouma is able to do this in midfield before it reaches the defensive third as it eases the pressure on the defence. His pass completion percentage also ranks well meaning he is comfortable at playing the ball, which suggests he won’t lose the ball too much in the middle of the park.
It is clear to see that comparing Bissouma with both Bentancur and Højbjerg, that he will help out massively defensively. His defensive actions shine through in comparison and will help tidy up Tottenham’s defence. His passes completed% are very similar to both Bentancur and Højbjerg but, going forward, Bentancur appears to be the obvious choice. I believe that Bissouma would complement Bentancur well as he could comfortably sit back and protect the defence whilst Bentancur plays slightly further up the field, supporting the attack. Bentancur is a successful dribbler and comfortable carrying the ball as well as having an impressive xA record. Saying this though, Højbjerg has had a good start to this season whilst Bissouma continues to settle in at Spurs so the competition for those centre midfield spots could be exciting to watch and is great for Conte.
Wingers/Forwards
Richarlison
Last, but by no means least, the final summer transfer to discuss is Richarlison. He was Spurs’ most expensive signing this summer, with the final deal costing around £60m. Tottenham did need another attacking player with Steven Bergwijn joining Ajax and Lucas Moura seemingly seeing to be out of favour under Conte. I’ve chosen to analyse Richarlison in more of winger type role as I can see him being deployed out wide like Dejan Kulusevski or Son Heung-min rather than through the middle like Harry Kane*.
Richarlison did predominantly play down the middle in a struggling Everton side last season so it is no surprise that his passing statistics appear weak. For the most part, he would have been the main target for passes into the final third and crosses into the 18 yard box. In terms of carrying the ball, again, it doesn’t look as if he was coming deep to receive the ball and bring it forward, rather he would stay up top and wait for the ball to come up towards him. In terms of shooting capabilities, his goal tally compared with other wingers in the top 5 leagues are not too bad, he netted 10 last season, but his shots on target% does appear quite low in comparison. If that could be worked on, then he could improve on that goal return. Looking at these stats alone, the £60m price tag may seem overpriced but from what I’ve seen at the start of this season, Richarlison looks up for it. He’s putting in the effort when he’s coming on the pitch and running about effectively which is already making him a fan favourite. He did get his first two goals for the club against Marseille in game week one of the Champions League so he is now off the mark for Spurs.
Richarlison got 10 goals last season, all of which came from inside the box. 3 of them were from the penalty spot. Although there might be a slight lack of variety of where the goals come from on the pitch, Richarlison has shown that he is comfortable scoring with both feet as well as his head. Spurs have never really had an efficient back up for Kane when he’s out injured or rested so, Richarlison should be able to provide that should he be played through middle instead of out wide.
In comparison to the likes of Kulusevski and Son, Richarlison stats fail to compete. From a passing point of view, Kulusevki proved in the second half of last season what he can bring to the team. His assists and passes into the final third, as well as crosses into the box, were a big part in helping Tottenham secure a top 4 finish last season. Whilst Son’s shooting capabilities helped him jointly secure the Premier League golden boot for the first time. Both Kulusevski and Son’s possession parts of their game were also better than Richarlison’s last season too. As explained earlier, it is probably a slightly unfair comparison as Richarlison was the focal point for Everton last season and not so much a wide man but these are likely to be the players he will be competing with to get into Spurs’ starting XI.
I do think Richarlison is good signing for Tottenham, adding further depth to their attacking options and should be a reliable back up for Kane should he be asked to be the main man up front.
Will Lankshear
An additional mention on the signing of Sheffield United striker Will Lankshear, who joined for a fee of around £2m. He will join up with the U18's.
In conclusion, I would say on paper, this is one of Tottenham’s best transfer windows in recent times. There have been occasions where little to no money has been spent and times when a lot has been spent, but not on quality players. The signings Spurs have made this summer should definitely add depth and options to the squad, as well as additional quality as they look to end a 14 year wait for a trophy. There are a mix of players who are proven winners and have experience of competing at the highest level as well as those for the future too. Deals were also done early for once, Tottenham have notoriously left it late in the transfer window to get business done so it was good for Conte to be able to ease the new players in over pre season. In my opinion, a creative midfielder and maybe an additional centre back were missing from this window. Sometimes Spurs can fail to break defensive teams down so having a player who can play that killer ball, for example, would be ideal and if Romero is out of the team, for instance, then it leaves the likes of Davinson Sánchez to come in who is a bit hit and miss at times. Overall though, this has been a very good transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur.
*I may do a comparison between Richarlison and Kane following this article which can be found on both my Twitter and Instagram pages.
