Anyone who has watched Spurs this season will tell you how good Dejan Kulusevski has been so far. So much so, this is a second piece explaining how the numbers back up the eye test - having done the same thing back in October.
The data crunched regarding Dejan Kulusevski's 24/25 season
Once again, DataMB have matched up the 24-year old’s numbers vs those in the top seven leagues, and the data is even better than you may have thought it was.
Incredibly, the Sweden international ranks best in four different metrics; key passes (17), crosses (49), progressive runs (61), and accelerations (21). On top of that, he ranks second for; deep completions, dribbles, offensive duels, and successful attacking actions.
Furthermore, the Spurs number 21 ranks third for passes into the penalty area and touches in the opposition box. He ranks fourth for shot assists and crosses into the goalkeeper’s box (six yard area), and ranks 13th for expected assists. Finally, he is in the 100th percentile for progressive carries.
When comparing Kulusevski to Cole Palmer and Martin Odegaard, the Spurs midfielder ranks higher for key passes, defensive actions, and the aforementioned progressive carries. He also ranks higher than Florian Wirtz in all of those categories, as well as forward passes completion percentage.
As you can see, Spurs have a player that can compete with some of the best midfielders in world football. Yet it does not feel like he has the hype to match the performances and the data that he is boasting in these games.
Perhaps it is because his base stats, whilst fine – four goals and three assists in 1231 Premier League minutes – but those who have watched Ange’s side know he has provided far more than just goals and assists.
Even looking at other stats that aren’t as data savvy as those provided in this piece, he has created six big chances, makes over four ball recoveries a game, has scored his four goals from an expected goals of just 2.05, etc etc. By pretty much all metric, he is having a fantastic season.
In addition, as mentioned above, he has had a fantastic season on the eye too, and Spurs fans unanimously see him as the clubs best player so far in 24/25. Even beyond that, he has been one of the best players in the Premier League overall.
However, Kulusevski has not just been key in the Premier League. In the Carabao Cup, he provided the assist for Djed Spence’s equaliser against Coventry City when Spurs were minutes from elimination, with Brennan Johnson going on to score the winner in stoppage time.
Then, he provided both assists in the 2-1 win over Manchester City last time out. Sure, the second one was all about Pape Sarr’s finish, but Kulusevski’s overall performance and assist for Timo Werner was absolutely key for Spurs going through.
Finally, in the Europa League, he provided an assist against AS Roma, and scored against Rangers. Without these contributions, Ange’s side would currently be 22nd in the league phase, only in a play-off spot on goal difference.
What a player, what a season.