Tottenham star named among most creative players in the Premier League | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur dropped the curtain on a disappointing 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a 3-0 victory over Championship-bound Sheffield United.

Ange Postecoglou guided the Lilywhites back to Europe with a fifth-placed finish in his debut campaign, ensuring that they will compete in the Europa League next season.

However, there are still plenty of unsatisfied voices who feel the club let a Champions League finish slip from their grasp.

Spurs spent the majority of the season vying for fourth place with Aston Villa. But their hopes of clinching a Champions League spot faded into thin air after a 2-0 home defeat against Manchester City.

Postecoglou’s side were initially considered title contenders after their fast start to the season, but their campaign began to unravel when a number of key players were hit with injuries.

Summer signing James Maddison was one of those sidelined for a while, missing 13 games for club and country from November until late January with an ankle injury.

Maddison’s extended period on the sidelines may have been the catalyst for Spurs falling off a cliff, considering he was their most creative playmaker.

The 27-year-old ranks seventh for shot-creating actions amongst Premier League players (161), which emphasises his importance to Postecoglou’s team, but his efficiency was also top-notch.

Maddison’s creativity translated into a per-90 rate of 6.79 shot-creating actions, surpassed only by Man City’s maestro Kevin De Bruyne (7.36).

Maddison’s shot-creation tally was by far the best of any Tottenham player during the 2023/24 campaign, with Heung-min Son ranking second with 129.

The South Korean only edges Dejan Kulusevski (127) by a slender margin, although the Swedish winger boasts a better per-90 rate (4.14) than the Spurs skipper (3.96).

Maddison constantly pulled the strings for Spurs in the middle of the park, ending his season with four goals and nine assists in 28 Premier League appearances.

He also created an impressive 11 big chances in the Premier League, averaging 2.4 key passes per 90, with a 6.27 expected assist tally (xA).

If Spurs can keep him fit for the bulk of next season, they should be in contention for a place in the Champions League.