"It’s simple. We’ve got our Tottenham back," were the words of Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy at yesterday's Fan Forum.
"I just feel that we’re seeing football that we used to see and that’s all that we want, to see the players give everything and play attacking football. We want the fans to have a connection with the players and the staff to have a connection with the players. You feel it throughout the club, at this stadium on non-matchdays, at the training centre, we’re together. It’s so noticeable.”
Such transparency from the top down is all fans of the north London outfit have ever wanted despite their recent failures, as the 61-year-old businessman revelled in his appointment of Ange Postecoglou.
Admittedly, it is the Australian who must be credited with turning around the Lilywhites, as he continues to win over fans with his witty and insightful comments whilst getting his players up for every game and reestablishing the connection between playing staff and fans.
In fact, the former Celtic boss has even helped some of his struggling stars turn their careers around thus far, as if to emphasise his faultless start to life in England.
Whilst the form and feelgood factor may not last forever, it should certainly be enjoyed whilst it can.
Who is performing for Spurs this season?
One of the outstanding decisions made by the 58-year-old tactician was to swoop for James Maddison, with the £40m expended already looking like a coup given his instant impact.
The former Leicester City ace tops their average ratings in the league thus far but is closely followed by other star performers such as Heung-min Son, Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma.
However, one man who also deserves plenty of credit actually sits sixth on that list, with Dejan Kulusevski slowly recapturing the form that saw him lauded upon first leaving Juventus.
Setting himself impossibly high standards with the blistering first six months he enjoyed, the Sweden international posted five goals and eight assists across just 18 league games. Journalist Josh Bunting would laud him during such a stellar period: "Dejan Kulusevski has to be one of the signings of the season, he’s completely rejuvenated Tottenham, outstanding performance again yesterday against Leicester, 14 games and 8 assists is a superb return, the intensity of the league suits him much better in terms of his game."
With his loan rightfully maintained, last season marked the toughest yet for the 23-year-old, who struggled under Antonio Conte in what was a torrid year for the entire club.
Few came out with any credit, not least the winger who scored just two league goals all campaign.
So, to see him having already matched that tally after five games this term will be a welcome sight to Postecoglou, who gains much more than just goalscoring from the creative leader.
After all, his performance against Sheffield United was outstanding even without taking his late winner into account, as he recorded an 8.5 rating, buoyed by the five key passes he made, via Sofascore.
Unsurprisingly, Kulusevski would rush to praise his new manager for his return to form: "I think football has to be fun. That's why we started playing and that's when great results can come. I don't have to be more as a wing-back when we're defending so I'm enjoying it a lot. I learn a lot of things every day. I like that because I'm still young, so it's still good to go every day, to hear new things and keep improving."
How much did Spurs pay for Dejan Kulusevski?
Although his tenure was largely unsuccessful and pretty damaging to the club, Conte was arguably one of the finest operators in the market whilst he was in charge.
After all, signings like Destiny Udogie and Yves Bissouma are already at the forefront of their new revolution, whilst Richarlison could prove to be the perfect forward for Postecoglou should he find his goalscoring form.
1
Richarlison
€58m (£50.1m)
2
Cristian Romero
€50m (£43.2m)
3
Yves Bissouma
€29.2m (£25.2m)
4
Rodrigo Bentancur
€19m (£16.4m)
5
Destiny Udogie
€18m (£15.5m)
*Although Conte was the man who signed Kulusevski on loan, the permanent fee only went through the summer after his dismissal.
However, arguably the cream of the crop was the acquisition of Kulusevski, who cost the club just £25m after spending a year and a half with the club on loan beforehand. A successful trial period made the cut-price fee even sweeter.
How much was Dejan Kulusevski worth at Juventus?
With his impressive performances at the highest level, it should come as no surprise that the 32-cap star has seen a sharp upturn in value since leaving Italy.
However, that's not to suggest that he was by any means undervalued, with Transfermarkt highlighting the various peaks and troughs enjoyed during his few years in Turin.
Reaching a peak of €45m (£39m) in late 2020, that would later drop to the lowest point whilst at Juventus, €30m (£26m). Therefore, it could be argued that the fee Conte paid marked a fair price for his services, although that is a figure that has since skyrocketed.
What is Dejan Kulusevski's market value now?
CIES Football Observatory seeks to offer the loftiest valuation of the 6 foot 1 trickster, clearly expecting big things from the man who has started the season so well.
Should such fine form continue, the €60m (£52m) figure placed on his head could certainly have grown further by the end of the campaign.
To compare this with the £25m initially paid to bring in the winger permanently, it is startling that already his value has soared by 108%. With the promise that his performances are set to improve too, this marks only the beginning of such a rise.
Why is Dejan Kulusevski worth that much?
Given that Kulusevski is already a fully-fledged international despite his youth, that is certain to have a huge impact on his astronomical valuation. Not to mention the European experience gained across two huge clubs in Spurs and Juventus.
However, it is the promise that he boasts that likely has spurred on such a hefty fee to be placed beside him, as it is expected that the £110k-per-week magician will only go from strength to strength.
That is at least what Conte expected, who sought to laud the sparkling future of his former star: "He is doing great things, he has a lot of potential. He is a crack and has a great desire to improve, he sets himself the goal of becoming an important player. It was an excellent investment for Tottenham."
Postecoglou will hope to continue the steady growth enjoyed thus far with Kulusevski, who he actually has the Italian to thank for his presence at the club.
