Injuries to Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski as well as the impending departure of Lucas Moura have meant Spurs have had to dive into the transfer market, to help boost their options in the attacking third.
This has led to the Lilywhites making offers for a number of attackers including Brighton’s Leandro Trossard and Roma’s Nicolo Zaniolo (more on that here). With Trossard now looking like he’s heading to Arsenal (read here), I thought it would be worth taking a closer look at Zaniolo – to try to figure out whether he would be a good fit for Spurs.
So, where would Zaniolo slot into the Spurs side?
Zaniolo has played the majority of his football this season as an attacking midfielder in Jose Mourinho’s 4-2-3-1 set up (via Transfermarkt).
However, he is also able to play on right-wing as well as filling in as a second striker. This means Zaniolo could likely act as backup to one of the front three, possibly covering for Dejan Kulusevski on the right.
Could the Italian make an impact in North London?
The stats may make you wonder why Spurs are interested in the Italian, with only one goal in 13 Serie A appearances so far this season (via Transfermarkt).
However, xG suggests Zaniolo should have closer to three goals this season (via FB ref), suggesting he may just be on a run of bad luck when it comes to finding the back of the net. Zaniolo’s tally of last season backs this up – as the Italian grabbed 17 goal contributions in all competitions last season.
The underlying numbers paint a pretty mixed picture for any possible move. The positive aspects are that Zaniolo is an absolute shot monster, taking 3.64 shots per 90 which puts him in the top 4% of players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues (FB Ref). He also ranks in the top 12% of players in his position for progressive passes received (7.54 per 90).
This however may be where the problem lies – Zaniolo’s underlying numbers suggest he is more of a finisher than a creator. Despite having good shot numbers, his creative numbers are nothing to write home about – only managing 1.33 key passes per 90, a total that puts him in the bottom 23% of attacking midfielders/wingers.
So, to put it simply the Italian would be someone getting on the end of chances, rather than creating them. This suggests Spurs would be better suited going after someone who has more ability creating from the midfield third – someone like Azzedine Ounahi.
Injury Risk?
Another factor which deter Spurs from signing Zaniolo is his injury record. Despite only being 23-years-old he has already suffered two cruciate ligament injuries – missing 438 days of football. Since then however, Zaniolo has thankfully suffered no more serious injuries but still has still missed 18 games since the start of the 2021/22 season – due to a strain of small injuries and illness (via Transfermarkt).
Taking all of these points into account, I personally believe a move for Zaniolo would not be worthwhile given the fee reported (£35 million) and the fact his tactical profile is not needed at Spurs currently – I would however loved to be proved wrong on that…
Spurs fans, do you think Zaniolo could make an impact in North London? Have your say by visiting the VitalSpurs fan forum here