With a 5-1 victory at Elland Road, Tottenham Hotspur concluded the 2022–2023 season, relegating Leeds United and placing eighth in the Premier League. There will be no European football, and many issues will arise shortly.
It was the pinnacle of a run of years that had fallen short of expectations, with Mauricio Pochettino’s skillfully assembled team beginning to fade away following his ouster in 2019, only months after a heartbreaking Champions League final loss.
After a season of stunning dominance with Celtic, Ange Postecoglou was appointed in June. His debut campaign in London showed promise, but despite finishing fifth and exhibiting inconsistent form, there is still much work to be done.
Angélique Postecoglou of the Tottenham Premier League
To be fair, the Australian had to deal with the departure of Harry Kane, the club record scorer, and although a direct replacement was not signed, other players have stepped up to take on some rather big shoes.
Heung-min Numbers from Son & Richarlison’s season
Heung-min Although Son has long been considered one of the Premier League’s most lethal goal scorers, he struggled last season, scoring just ten goals in the league as his team limped to an unsatisfactory finish.
That’s still a good return, though, and a lot better than Richarlison’s disgraceful performances, which included just one Premier League goal all season after he was acquired for £60 million from Everton in the summer of 2022.
With their precision finishing, the dynamic duo—who are equally successful when playing up front or on the left—have caused despair for rival backlines.
They are performing admirably, keeping Tottenham, a London team five points behind fourth-place Aston Villa but with a game in hand, in the running for an epic Champions League comeback.
But in the long run, neither will be the real center-forward to replace Kane. While there was conjecture in January that a top-tier striker would be signed at the end of the season, Postecoglou may already have the ideal replacement at his disposal.
Alejo Veliz might be the heir to Harry Kane.
In fact, Kane was transferred to Bayern Munich in August for an alleged £100 million deal; considering Spurs’ problems and the England captain’s intense desire to break through a trophy drought for his career, nobody was surprised by the decision.
Just a few days prior, former youth coach Adrian Dezotti had praised the gifted player for his “fearsome” exploits in his native Argentina, and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had finalized the £13 million transfer of the teenage center-forward Alejo Veliz from Rosario Central.
Alejo Velez.
The six-foot-one Veliz is intelligent, vivacious, and clinical. He has the makings of a great Premier League forward, and he may eventually be just as skilled at finishing and making decisions as Harry Kane, if not more inventive and successful in his playmaking.
Veliz, who is now 20 years old, has made two substitute appearances thus far in 2023–24 and is spending the second half of the season on loan at Sevilla.
Time for the Spurs loan latest with Alejo Veliz making his debut and earning praise, Djed Spence frustration, a first professional goal for one youngster, praise for Alfie Devine and Ashley Phillips, Tanguy Ndombele getting some Tottenham friends and more. https://t.co/7l2oQr0mod
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) February 19, 2024
Despite playing just 42 minutes of Premier League football since his arrival last summer, he did manage to strike the back of the goal for Tottenham. He concluded the game with a bouncing effort off the bench in a winter cameo against Brighton & Hove Albion.
According to FBref, Veliz is among the top 13% of positional peers for goals scored, the top 1% for clearances, and the top 10% for aerial duels won per 90, indicating a developing roundedness. Talent scout Jacek Kulig described Veliz as a prospect with a “complete” skill set.
And it’s this versatility that can enable Veliz to surpass Kane as Tottenham’s most dependable and lethal goal scorer in addition to becoming a player who can perform well outside of the center of the field to elevate and polish the play of those around him.
A first goal in a Spurs shirt for @alee_veliz 🤍
🤝 @Spurs_Academy pic.twitter.com/mbFv3IWIRW
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 1, 2023
For instance, while Kane is undoubtedly one of the best scorers in Europe, he also ranks in the top 6% and top 21% of strikers in terms of progressive passes per 90 and assists throughout the previous season in Europe’s top five leagues.
In light of Postecoglou’s fluid setup and the need for energy (Son, for instance, excels as a focal point and as a creative collaborator), it might be wiser to give Veliz more responsibility for the upcoming season rather than making a costly investment.
Mbappe-World-Cup
In the football fancasts for The Pipeline Discover the world’s top football wonderkids in the Pipeline series. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have the next Mbappe in their academy?
The ascent of this thrilling ace has captured the attention of ESPN pundit and Argentine host Francisco Canepa, who says of him: “He has that characteristic of a player that’s quite rare.” These days, it’s rare to find a tall, powerful No. 9 who can also play in the box. He is able to press and run. Although he struggles to control the ball when it’s in his hands, he excels at forcing defenders into uncomfortable situations and attacking gaps in the defense. He’s quite intelligent at doing that.
His ability to physically overwhelm opponents can only strengthen the argument that he is the ideal Kane successor, which will free up space for colleagues like Richarlison and Son to find the back of the net.
Richarlison representing Tottenham.
Although Richarlison and Son have been Postecoglou’s go-to goal scorers, Richarlison’s goal-scoring record at the club indicates that he has had ups and downs in form. The Spurs captain will be 32 during the off-season.
Football tends to focus on the here and now, but it’s crucial to remember that Postecoglou is working to assemble a team that can contend for titles in the long run, and Veliz may emerge as the team’s leader.
Although he lacks the physical attributes of a great Premier League striker, he is not a factory-built successor to a player of Kane’s caliber.
