While there remains a slither of hope that this season ends in Europa League triumph for Tottenham Hotspur, there is no escaping from the fact that, at least domestically, it’s been diabolical.
Ange Postecologu’s side have lost 19 games in the Premier League, and it feels like a certainty that they’ll finish the season with 20 to their name.
However, for all the doom and gloom – of which there is plenty – there remains a reason to be hopeful about the club’s future: their youngsters.
The likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Mikey Moore look like superstars in the making, and if recent reports are to be believed, the club are looking to add another name to that list, someone who’d be a massive upgrade on Brennan Johnson, and has been tipped for Ballon d’Or glory.
Tottenham's transfer targets
Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other youngsters who’ve been linked with Spurs in recent weeks, such as Dean Huijsen.
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The Spanish international reportedly has a release clause worth £50m in his current Bournemouth deal, and while that is a lot to spend on a youngster, it could well be worth it, as he’s already made 32 appearances for the Cherries this term.
Another youngster from the South Coast who has been heavily linked with the Lilywhites this year is Tyler Dibling.
The Southampton star has racked up a reasonable tally of four goals and three assists in 35 games so far this season and will be available for reportedly £35m.
Finally, the most exciting player, and the one who’d be a significant upgrade on Johnson, is Rayan Cherki.
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Spurs and Manchester United are now leading the race to sign the highly-rated Lyon youngster.
The report claims that the 21-year-old could be available for around €35m, which comes out to £30m.
It might be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Cherki’s immense ability and potential, it’s worth fighting tooth and nail for, especially as he’d be a big upgrade on Johnson.
How Cherki compares to Johnson
So, as Cherki’s primary position is off the right, his main competition for game time at Spurs would be Johnson, but who comes out on top when we compare them?
Well, when it comes down to their raw output, it’s the Frenchman who comes out on top, and by quite some way at that.
For example, in just 41 appearances, totalling 2894 minutes, he’s scored 12 goals and provided 19 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.32 games, or every 93.35 minutes.
In contrast, the Welshman has scored 16 goals and provided seven assists in 46 appearances, totalling 2987 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 129.86 minutes.
Unfortunately for the former Nottingham Forest ace, the comparison remains just as one-sided when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.71
0.52
Non-Penalty G+As
0.88
0.60
Progressive Passes
9.31
3.03
Progressive Carries
4.17
2.47
Key Passes
3.33
0.82
Passes into the Final Third
4.46
1.08
Passes into the Penalty Area
3.33
1.52
Live Passes
52.7
26.2
Shot-Creating Actions
6.23
1.99
Goal-Creating Actions
0.93
0.30
Successful Take-Ons
2.11
0.82
For example, Lyon’s “future Ballon d’Or winner,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Alex Barker, comes out ahead in almost all relevant metrics, such as actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, while Johnson has been a useful player, it’s clear that Cherki would be a massive upgrade and, therefore, Spurs should do all they can to sign him this summer.
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