Tottenham transfer targets: Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze can energise Ange Postecoglou’s attack next season | OneFootball

Tottenham will be paying close attention to Eberechi Eze’s performances at Euro 2024.

The attacking midfielder has been called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the tournament, but speculation surrounding his club future is likely to continue while he is in Germany.

Tottenham are believed to be leading the race for Crystal Palace’s No.10, amid reports of a £60million release clause — plus around £8m of potential add-ons — in his contract.

With Manchester United also among Eze’s possible suitors, should Tottenham make a move for the in-form star?

Eze only featured in 27 of Crystal Palace’s 38 Premier League matches last term, but made a significant impact while on the pitch.

The 25-year-old scored 11 goals and registered four assists across 2065 minutes of action, averaging out at a commendable 0.65 goal contributions per 90.

That was roughly in line with his 14.67 expected contributions and reflects Eze’s composure when presented with the ball in dangerous areas.

He racked up 34 shots on target and 35 completed crosses in 2023/24 — putting him inside the division’s top 20 players for both metrics.

Drive and dynamism

There is more to Eze’s game than simply being clinical in attacking positions, however.

Most notably, his powerful runs and sublime dribbling skills make him a constant menace to opposition defenders.

Only Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku (151) and West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus (201) attempted more take-ons than Eze’s 133, while he ranked in the Premier League’s top five performers for take-ons completed (69).

He also regained possession a significant 32 times in the final third last season, which should see him fit well into Ange Postecoglou’s high-pressing system.

Change of position?

Although Eze is clearly a fantastic player, there are some questions around how he would fit into Tottenham’s starting XI.

The former Queens Park Rangers man featured as a central attacking midfielder for most of 2023/24 — playing 1102 minutes in that position, with Palace typically utilising a 4-2-3-1 system.

That is the same formation preferred by Postecoglou, who is unlikely to drop James Maddison from the advanced playmaker role.

Eze may therefore have to switch to the left flank, where he operated for 594 league minutes last term.

That might be no bad thing, though, after he scored three goals from that position in his final six appearances of the season.

With the versatility to cover for Maddison and offer a threat from out wide, Eze could be just the signing that Tottenham need this summer.