Top or Flop? Ranking Tottenham players for the 2023/24 Season
Tottenham Hotspur just concluded an excellent season with Ange Postecoglou in charge, and they have seen massive progress under the Australian gaffer as the club headed from one of the struggling big six in the Premier League to one of the most exciting clubs in Europe.
Spurs started the season magnanimously while they saw a steep dropdown in their joint and several players missed out on Champions League football at the business end of the season.
We will dive into individual players and rank them from worst to best based on their performances in the 2023–24 season.
Note: For the relevancy of the sample size of individual performances, we have only rated players with in excess of 500 minutes under their belt throughout the year.
18. Ben Davies
He has lost his pace and power, which is potentially why he is on the verge of leaving the club this summer. Tottenham have outgrown the traditionally potent player that Davies is, which is why he has been a bit of a misfit every time he took the field this season.
That being said, it is important to note that he has been a big part of the club behind the scenes.
17. Oliver Skipp
He has been a disappointment in our opinion; he has goal-scoring potential that has not been explored this season. Moreover, he has not become an integral part of the midfield, something that many Spurs supporters expected to happen this season.
16. Emerson Royal
He has been demoted into a bit-part role following Pedro Porro taking on his position at the right back position. The Brazilian has filled in at left-back and center-back throughout the season and is expected to be shown the door this summer.
15. Dejan Kulusevski
The Swede winger was expected to be one of the best wingers in the Premier League this season following his performances last year; however, it hasn’t been so as the former Juventus man has struggled to find his feet this season.
His struggles on the pitch soon showed in his minutes on the pitch, as he has been in and out of the team.
Kulusevski is a player with very high capabilities, and we saw glimpses of that in the final game of the season against Sheffield United. Tottenham supporters would be hoping he finds himself in better space next season and is able to replicate his best self.
14. Rodrigo Bentancur
The Uruguayan international has had a long road back from injury, and it is gratifying to see him playing like his old self. Personally, the expectations for Bentancur were high; however, he has not lived up to them. That being said, it is difficult to judge him this season.
13. Yves Bissouma
He is another player who has found his feet at Spurs since Ange Postecoglou took charge of the club. The Ivory Coast-born midfielder has shown his capabilities as a six in the middle of the park as he complements Pape Sarr brilliantly.
The Malian has leveraged his performances this season to ensure he conveniences Postecoglou to keep him for at least another season.
12. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
His being relegated to a bench role comes as a surprise on a personal level, as he has been enjoying a better season statistically than others that take his place in the Spurs eleven. The Dane has shown his capability every time he takes the field, with his sane short passes complemented by spearing the play when needed.
There could be two reasons for his hiatus from lining up in the tunnel: one is possibly the intensity of passes and play demanded by the gaffer, and the second could be a lack of pace and power to fill in on the defensive side of the game.
Spurs are right to demand hefty fees for his services; he is worth every penny that Levy is demanding from potential suitors.
11. Timo Werner
Coming in January with a transfer that split the majority of the Tottenham fan base, complemented by his previous experience in England, would have been a massive cause for pressure on the German international. However, since the first time he took the field for the North Londoners, he has been home.
He has fitted in seamlessly to Tottenham’s gaffer tactics despite playing in an unnatural left flank position in his preferred number nine role.
Werner has been not only making some crucial goal contributions in his short time at White Hart Lane, but he is also the also the first to track back and the first to press, which says a lot about his work ethic and commitment.
10. Brennan Johnson
Coming in for a big-money move to an elite side is difficult, and we saw him struggling to find his feet in the early part of the season following his transfer to N17; however, Brennan has been a meager to be dealt with once he found himself home.
It has been difficult to stop him, especially with the ball at his feet and him running inwards from the flank, which has resulted in ten assists alongside five goals, which makes for an excellent aggregation of goal contributions in his first season wearing the Lilywhites badge.
9. Pape Matar Sarr
Operating in the midfield role in Ange’s tactics is a difficult task for even an experienced foe, let alone a 21-year-old still finding his way in England. Sarr has been a presence at the heart of the park while maintaining his discipline at the base of the midfield when Spurs attack. He also knows the art of spreading the play and ensuring the sequence proceeds with the needed intensity and pace.
Pape Sarr is showing glimpses of a top player at an early age; he could well become a presence in the Spurs midfield for a long time to come, especially if he keeps up his current pace of development.
8. James Maddison
His season is a difficult one to judge. The former Leicester City man saw everything that Spurs did go through him in the first part of the season; however, he has been a nightmare in the latter half of the campaign.
The England international has enjoyed a free role in the Australian’s tactics, as he has been very important in Tottenham unlocking spaces in offensive sequences. James Maddison is also an integral part of Spurs set-piece routines.
He had an all-timer first half of the season; hopefully, he reciprocates that form over a whole campaign.
7. Richarlison
The Brazilian comes as a surprise as one of the better players in this squad in the recently concluded season. Credits to him; he has been causing constant chaos when fit, and he had some sort of midas touch in the early part of the season, which has contributed to his goal involvement stats this season.
However, the former Everton man has more than eleven goals and four assists; he is always on the front foot with his pressing and creates doubt in the opponent’s mind. Richy is known to cause chaos, and that is something he has done every time he took the field for the Spurs this season.
It will be difficult to watch him leave (if he does, as rumors suggest), as he has been phenomenal this season.
6. Cristian Romero
The Argentine has been one of the most integral parts of Ange’s team. He showed once again why he is rated as one of the best defenders in the world, despite his sometimes-aggressive demeanor. Romero has taken up the baton as one of the leaders in the team and is always vocal, ensuring team members know what is asked of them. Moreover, he has also been given a bit of a license to press and force opponents into mistakes, something that he has done on multiple occasions this season.
Moreover, the 26-year-old is one of the first people looking to head the set pieces as per sequence, which has proven equally beneficial this season.
5. Pedro Porro
The right back took over the position from Emerson Royal in the summer and has shown glimpses of greatness with his offensive abilities. The Spaniard registered seven assists in the Premier League this season, which is the most by a defender for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League era. He operates in one of the spaces where Ange likes creativity offensively, and he has given exactly that this season.
While multiple fans have raised concerns about his defensive abilities, it hasn’t been half bad; however, we should definitely see him more defensively rounded off with time.
4. Destiny Udogie
Coming in as a 21-year-old from Italy and performing the way he has in the English top-tier is genuinely outstanding. His technical understanding ensures he seamlessly fits into Ange Postecoglou’s style of play, and his understanding of underlapping and overlapping runs makes it difficult to defend against.
His performances have been recognized by the Premier League with a nomination for PL’s Young Player of the Season for the 2023–24 season.
3. Guglielmo Vicario
The Italian goalkeeper’s performances have gone under the radar in the latter half of the campaign. His introduction with the gloves has had more to do with his ability with the feet and calmness on receiving the end of the opponent’s press. He has shown his capacity in build-up play this season; however, we have seen that he is a bit soft on the dead balls, and there is still another level to be found in his game.
2. Micky Van de Ven
The Dutch international has been a breath of fresh air in the heart of Spurs defence; bringing in physicality and recovery pace in the last line has been a revelation in Ange’s all-attacking style of play with a high line.
He has already been regarded as having world-class potential, and Spurs fans would want to see him at the heart of the defense for at least the upcoming decade.
1. Heung Min Son
The Tottenham skipper has been the best performer for the Lilywhites this season. Despite playing the majority of the season in the central role, which is unnatural given his preferred posture on the left flank, he scored seventeen goals, had ten assists, and made 35 PL appearances this season. He also put on six man-of-the match performances throughout the season.
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The South Korean also entered the record books with over 400 appearances, representing the Lilywhites in the recently concluded season. It is also a season where he took over the limelight from Harry Kane, with the England international moving to Bayern Munich last summer.
