Randal Kolo Muani has performed for much of 2025/26 with the nonchalance of a stereotypical Frenchman.
Once a €75 million forward who's career hit a crossroad after Luis Enrique rocked up in Paris and turned the perpetual Champions League avoiders into the Kings of Europe, Kolo Muani had hoped to impress a rather unfamiliar audience after Spurs reached a loan agreement with Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The versatile forward had showcased glimpses of his Eintracht Frankfurt best with Juventus last season, but the Bianconeri were unable to reach an agreement with the Parisians over Kolo Muani's transfer.
That allowed a somewhat desperate Spurs to pounce late in the day, but Kolo Muani's time in north London has so far been pretty disastrous.
Kolo Muani's mentality shift depicts De Zerbi's impact
There were moments in the autumn and winter when it looked like Kolo Muani would be a handy Dominic Solanke alternative, sparing us the technical unreliability of Richarlison up top.
But those performances of promise proved to be no more than false dawns. It was bleak for Kolo Muani by the end of Thomas Frank's reign, with the Dane turning to Dane Scarlett over the man who featured in a World Cup final a little over three years before when Spurs needed a goal at Burnley in January.
Supporters have beaten this depleted squad with the "they don't care" stick throughout 2026, and Kolo Muani has been one of the chief figures for slander. He hasn't played well, even Roberto De Zerbi acknowledged that, yet the 27-year-old could garner cult hero status in N17 should Spurs retain their Premier League status.
The arrival of De Zerbi has flicked a switch within Kolo Muani. Injuries have seen him start every game of the Italian's tenure so far down the right-hand side, and his performance at Villa Park best reflected the player's shift in mentality.
It was Kolo Muani at the Stadium of Light who was picking his teammates off the floor after a 1-0 defeat to kick off De Zerbi's tenure. It was Kolo Muani who was celebrating wildly, despite his half-time withdrawal, after João Palhinha struck at Molineux. It was Kolo Muani who was embraced like a hero after his substitution on Sunday.
The bloke still produced some bizarre moments with the ball, and you certainly can't trust him to make the right decision or execute the simplest of actions in the final third. Still, there were gliding runs that made you lean forward in anticipation, and his willingness to fight tooth and nail for the cause was impossible to ignore.
Impressively, Kolo Muani led Sunday's win with 11 duels won. He drew three fouls and completed a game-high four of his six dribbles. Spent by the hour mark and rightfully withdrawn, the Frenchman then produced one of my favourite moments of the season so far.
As he made the long way around to the bench, Kolo Muani first encountered the away end. Before he reached the jubilant bunch, a Villa fan dishing out the finger was reminded of the scoreline and blown a kiss by Tottenham's No. 37, who subsequently embraced those who made the trip to Villa Park and gee'd 'em up even more.
This is a player who's been slagged off for months, wondering how exactly he's ended up here. He was likely promised to play a leading role for a team competing towards the top of the Premier League table, not for a side fighting for its life in the gutter.
Things haven't gone his way, but Kolo Muani hasn't felt sorry for himself. Perhaps given a kick up the backside by De Zerbi, he's relishing his role as a scrapper, and supporters are starting to love him for it.
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