Tottenham Hotspur have made some great signings since the misery of the 2022/23 campaign ended. Daniel Levy must be delighted over the improvements made in this regard, fuelling a new era with potency and promise.
James Maddison's been a wonder in his playmaking ability; Micky van de Ven's athletic defending has restored a flagging backline; Brennan Johnson's coming alive as a fleet-footed winger; Guglielmo Vicario's been a breath of fresh air between the sticks.
But the most transformative, ground-breaking appointment of them all is that of Ange Postecoglou, whose managerial wand has revived the synergy and style on the pitch, seemingly dovetailing the various facets to bring Spurs back into contention for Champions League football.
The Premier League side implement a clear brand of football and Postecoglou has found great success in bringing well-suited players to the fold, with the January acquisition of Timo Werner a fine example of this.
Why Spurs signed Timo Werner
In January, Tottenham signed Werner from RB Leipzig on loan for the rest of the campaign as Postecoglou sought to bolster his firepower, with a buy option for £15m inserted into the deal.
1.
Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid
2.
Serge Gnabry
Bayern Munich
3.
Mousa Diaby
Aston Villa
4.
Raheem Sterling
Chelsea
5.
Christopher Nkunku
Chelsea
He's scored two goals and supplied three assists across ten Premier League outings – seven starts – so far and has impressed through his "lightning-quick" speed, as has been said by pundit Paul Merson.
Typically fielded on the left flank, Werner offers something a little different to both Richarlison and Heung-min Son, capable of stretching defences and getting in behind to fizz balls into the danger area.
The £165k-per-week German's long-term future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium might be up for debate at this stage but he's proved himself to be a valuable member under Postecoglou.
Basically, he's a bit of a footballing thorn for his adversaries and causes problems, annoyingly, to enhance Tottenham's overall fluidity and success in attacking sequences.
He's quite like Celtic phenom Daizen Maeda, a stalwart in Scotland under Postecoglou's wing.
Ange's next Daizen Maeda
Described as a "workhorse" by journalist Josh Bunting, Maeda has been a key component of the Hoops' success after signing on an initial loan from Yokohama F. Marinos in January 2022, bringing pace and energy down the flanks.
While he's not the most prolific of forces, the 26-year-old has been hailed as an "absolute nuisance" for defenders by pundit Rio Ferdinand, yielding a moderate return of 27 goals and 15 assists from 102 appearances – but offering qualities that stretch beyond that of direct numbers.
The "livewire" – as lauded by Ferdinand – is electric-paced, clever with his movement and deft with his dribbling, having chalked up 47 goals and assists in 121 games while working under Postecoglou, following their prior time together in Yokohama.
A "headless chicken" at times – as dubbed by writer Casey Evans – Maeda does have a penchant for profligacy in front of goal as his 11 'big chances' missed in the Premiership this season can attest to, yet he's certainly an effective presence in a Postecoglou system.
In Werner – who can be wasteful himself it must be said after already missing four 'big chances' in the league at Tottenham – the Australian tactician may well have found another 'nuisance' to utilise off the left, with it easy to see why Postecoglou may wish for him to stick around beyond this season.
He's a snappy, effective player and while he will never have the shooting boots of Son, Werner clearly fits a mould that Postecoglou seeks from his wingers and Tottenham would be wise to activate his buy option.
Like Maeda, he may have his moments that will have supporters tearing their hair out, yet his willing work ethic and direct nature – as evidenced in his assist for Johnson at the London Stadium last time out – could make the German a firm fan favourite at N17.
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