Spurs hit the jackpot with £86m ace who was once ahead of Foden & Saka

The development and togetherness of Tottenham Hotspur as both a team and as a club have been brilliant this season.

Ange Postecoglou’s arrival has been the main catalyst for this, with his philosophy and style of play being enjoyable for both the players and the fans.

Thankfully, it’s also bringing success on the field, with Spurs just five points behind Aston Villa in fifth while also having a game in hand.

A lot of the recent culture shift at the club is also down to the success in the transfer market, with new signings performing on the pitch.

That said, there’s one player in the Spurs squad who was once better than Phil Foden.

Dejan Kulusevski vs Phil Foden in 2020

2020 was the year that Dejan Kulusevski and Foden really began to cement themselves as future superstars, with the two creators recognised as that on a global scale.

In the 2020 Golden Boy ranking, the Swede was actually ranked above the Man City gem, finishing sixth, one place better than Foden in seventh. Interestingly, they both ranked ahead of Arsenal’s golden boy, Bukayo Saka, too.

During the 2019/20 season, Foden was still working his way into the City squad, with Pep Guardiola managing his minutes. The number 47 played 23 times in the Premier League, scoring five goals and picking up two assists.

However, Kulusevski had taken on much more responsibility for his Parma side during that same campaign, tearing up the Serie A for a mid-table team. The Spurs winger scored ten goals and provided nine assists in 33 starts for the Italian club.

The left-footed gem joined Parma on loan as a Juventus player, the club that Kulusevski eventually joined Spurs from on loan in January 2022.

Kulusevski’s value in 2024

Kulusevski was an instant hit at Spurs, playing an important role in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, where he netted five goals and picked up eight assists in 14 starts.

The loan was for 18 months, enabling the “superb” Sweden international, as per Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, to complete the entire 2022/23 season at Tottenham.

In truth, Kulusevski struggled to progress from the form he showed the season prior, netting twice and picking up seven assists in the league, but it was a transition period for the club.

Nonetheless, Spurs made the 23-year-old’s loan permanent in the summer, spending just £25m to acquire his services on a five-year deal.

Fast forward to today, and he’s the most expensive Spurs player in regards to CIES’ Football Observatory’s estimated value, even being worth over three times more than Son who’s valued at just £26m, owing to the short amount of time still left on his contract.

The attacker still has plenty of potential that he’s yet to reach, and due to the lack of quality left-footed right-wingers on the market, his profile is almost priceless.

Furthermore, Kulusevski is starting to thrive once again in a Tottenham shirt under the influence of Postecoglou, scoring six goals and picking up two assists this campaign already.

Nonetheless, it’s clear that Spurs truly hit the jackpot by signing Kulusevski, who continues to improve and impress on the right of the attack, and he is certainly living up to his predicted pathway.