Tottenham Hotspur have wrestled with a stark loss of form over recent weeks but returned to winning ways with an excellent 4-1 victory over Newcastle United last weekend.
Ange Postecoglou will have been most displeased with his side's decline, having won eight of his first ten matches in the Premier League – drawing the other two – and winning a trio of Manager of the Month awards to announce himself to English football emphatically.
How Spurs have been restored since the Australian's appointment has been stunning, with the eighth-placed finish of 2022/23 a poignant memory fading into the ether: while Tottenham's thinness has been their undoing of late, the fluency and attacking verve has hinted at fruitful future fortunes.
Postecoglou needs to strengthen in January, bolstering his ranks to compete against the division's best as the season stretches into its decisive phase after the new year, and the attacking area is of great importance.
Tottenham transfer news – Matias Soule
While many Lilywhites supporters will be aware of Tottenham's interest in a young Juventus forward named Samuel Iling-Junior, Daniel Levy and his transfer team have been enticed by further starlets from the Old Lady's squad, with Matias Soule identified.
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Tottenham will look to strengthen the ranks in January.
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According to journalist Fabio Santini – via Sport Witness – Spurs, alongside Crystal Palace, are interested in signing Soule after his impressive performances on loan with Serie A side Frosinone, following news from Calciomercato earlier in December that revealed Tottenham's attention.
Santini said that Juve could seek to recuperate funds as they target central midfield additions and will attempt to cash in on Soule, valued at a ballpark fee of €25m (£21m).
Tottenham have a good relationship with the Turin club after signing Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in recent years, and could use such former deals to engineer a transfer.
Matias Soule's season in numbers
Last season, the 20-year-old scored his first goal for Juventus and played a bit-part role as he honed his craft, starting four times in Serie A, but Massimiliano Allegri probably made the right decision in allowing him to further improve elsewhere, shipping him out on loan in the summer.
As per Sofascore, the 5 foot 9 whiz has been immense now he has been taken off the leash, scoring six goals and supplying one assist across 13 outings in the Italian top-flight this term, however, his influence stretches far beyond this surface-level contribution.
Completing 81% of his passes. Soule has also averaged three key passes and 5.6 ball recoveries per game while making 4.5 dribbles each outing – for comparison, Manchester City's Jeremy Doku is averaging 4.0 dribbles per game in the Premier League.
Described as an "exciting talent" by Statman Dave, Tottenham would pull off a coup in securing this youngster's signature, and Postecoglou simply has to act incisively to snap him up.
Matias Soule's style of play
While Soule's "superb" dribbling style is his standout attribute – as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – there is little question that he is blooming into a multi-faceted player with a keen eye for goal and a natural intelligence in decision-making and movement.
While he would be effective on the left, his eagerness to weave inside and beat his man highlights his hunger and mettle in attacking sequences, always looking to inflict damage on his opponents and earning praise from journalist Zach Lowy, who noted his "special" skill set.
Boasting some impressive and evenly spread metrics, Soule ranks among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 7% for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive passes, the top 1% for successful take-ons and the top 5% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.
Artful and penetrative, he is likened to Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, which is probably a definitive factor behind the Eagles' interest as they look to complement their fleet-footed star.
For Spurs, augmenting their offensive ranks with a player of such quality is only going to tantalise riches down the line, with Soule's innate eye for goal and skill in driving the ball forward, progressing the play as an unstoppable wide vehicle, something that will prove invaluable as Postecoglou looks to return to European competition and indeed thrive on the continental stage.
How Soule compares to Dejan Kulusevski
Since Soule principally plays on the right wing, he would find himself in direct competition with Kulusevski, who intriguingly also arrived from Juventus, signing for £25m in the summer after completing an initial 18-month loan.
It's perhaps a fair assessment that Soule has the makings of a natural finisher in a way that Kulusevski cannot emulate; the Sweden international has a melange of noteworthy qualities but ranks among the bottom 29% of positional peers for goals scored per 90.
That said, he ranks among the top 19% for tackles and the top 20% for interceptions per 90, having been praised for his attributes recently by Sky Sports' Jamie Weir.
The reporter said: "Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart."
Player
Club
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal
Ousmane Dembele
Paris Saint-Germain
Hirving Lozano
PSV Eindhoven
*Sourced via Football Transfers
As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old has also completed 83% of his passes in the Premier League this season while averaging 2.3 key passes per game, evidencing his creative flair and effectiveness in Postecoglou's squad, having started all 16 league fixtures.
Such contrasting skill sets could be crucial for Spurs going forward, adding some prodigious talent to the right flank to further the development – with the struggling Bryan Gil the counterweight, the balance is somewhat askew.
Given that Kulusevski has also played a central creative role at times recently, and by utilising his spark he could create a constant passage through to the danger area, from which the Argentinian talent could wreak havoc.
Bolstering with an exciting youngster such as Soule could be the perfect move for Spurs, who can look ahead with much optimism once again after a testing period.
