Dragusin E, Maddison C: Grading every Tottenham signing this season

Updated: 27 Apr 2024 19:46 BST
6 min read

Radu Dragusin, James Maddison, Tottenham — © IMAGO

Tottenham were one of the busiest Premier League teams in terms of transfers in 2023/24.

Spurs signed a whopping ten players across two transfer windows, while Destiny Udogie has also technically been a new arrival despite being acquired in 2022. The Italian youngster was immediately loaned back to Udinese, so this has been his first season as a Tottenham player.

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It has been a campaign of mixed emotions for the north London club. Ange Postecoglou has divided opinions, with some admiring his idealistic, attacking approach, while others believe that approach is too risky to achieve tangible Premier League success.

Had this piece been written in, say, November, many of Spurs' signings would have a very good rating. However, Postecoglou's side have tailed off a fair bit in recent months and the form of some players has dipped significantly.

So, let's grade Tottenham's 2023/24 signings...

Brennan Johnson (€55m from Nottingham Forest): C

Spurs' most expensive acquisition of the season, Brennan Johnson has been hit and miss so far. At 22, the winger still has plenty of upside but, given his €55 million price tag, many would likely have expected a bigger impact in his first season at the club.

Johnson has been far from terrible but is also yet to consistently show all of his talents. He gets a C rather than a D because his potential means that he could yet turn out to be a very good signing in the future.

James Maddison (€46.3m from Leicester City): C

England international James Maddison enjoyed a spectacular start to the campaign. One of the best midfielders in the Premier League in the early months of the season, the 26-year-old was playing like a Player of the Season contender until an injury sidelined him.

The injury to the former Leicester man not only stunted his own and Spurs' momentum and the attacking midfielder hasn't quite been the same since. Maddison's production has been undeniably underwhelming since he returned to the fold in late January, hence why he only gets a C.

Pedro Porro (€40m from Sporting CP): B

An ever-present at right-back for Postecoglou's side this season, Pedro Porro has been a solid reinforcement for Spurs. The Spaniard is another player who started the season on fire and eventually struggled to recapture that form.

However, due to being a right-back, it is more forgivable that his goal contributions have dried up. A return of two goals and seven assists at the time of writing is still pretty good for a full-back and Porro has been mostly reliable. The 24-year-old gets a B.

Micky van de Ven (€40m from Wolfsburg): A

One of the best signings of the season, Micky van de Ven has had a pretty spectacular impact at Spurs, albeit one also disrupted by injury. Though the Dutchman was the unfortunate protagonist when Spurs were drubbed 4-0 by Newcastle, he has been, on the whole, a brilliant acquisition.

Rapid for a centre-back, good on the ball and only 22, Van de Ven could turn out to be one of the best pieces of business in Spurs' recent history. He has been a signing worthy of an A.

Dejan Kulusevski (€30m from Juventus): D

After an initial 18-month loan, Dejan Kulusevski's move from Juventus was finally made permanent for €30m in the summer, but the versatile winger is yet to fully justify that price tag.

There have always been questions about Kulusevski's ability to be really productive at the highest level and it increasingly seems the answer to that is 'no.' Much like Johnson, his return this season hasn't been terrible, but it has also not been particularly impressive, hence he only gets a D.

Radu Dragusin (€25m from Genoa): E

One of the best defenders in Serie A in the first half of the season, Spurs signed Radu Dragusin from Genoa for €25m to provide cover for the injured Van de Ven.

However, the Dutchman returned to action not long after Dragusin's arrival and the Romanian has mostly been an onlooker thus far. When he has played, he has also not been particularly impressive. He gets an E rather than an F because he is only 22 and previously showed how good he can be.

Guglielmo Vicario (€18.5m from Empoli): A

An unknown commodity in England prior to his arrival, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. The Italian has been outstanding for Spurs and only cost them €18.5m.

A reliable shot-stopper, the 27-year-old has proved to be a really shrewd acquisition and this transfer deserves to be graded with an A.

Destiny Udogie (€18m from Udinese): A

As mentioned, Destiny Udogie was actually signed in 2022 but spent his first Spurs season on loan at Udinese. The 21-year-old has been brilliant under Postecoglou and immediately established himself as a key player.

One of the most impressive performers in the early stages of the campaign, Udogie, like the rest of the team, has not been quite as good lately, but given his youth and the fact that he only cost €18m, he will go down as a brilliant signing - A.

Alejo Veliz (€15m from Rosario Central): E

One of the more underwhelming signings, Alejo Veliz has barely featured this season - despite being on the books at two different clubs. After only making eight substitute appearances in the first half of the season, the Argentine was loaned to Sevilla but his fortunes haven't improved at all.

Veliz is far from a lost cause, however. At 20 years of age and having cost just €15m, the striker could yet come good, hence why we are giving him an E rather than an F.

Ashley Phillips (€2.3m from Blackburn): B

It may seem strange to give a player who has yet to make his Premier League debut for Tottenham a B, but Ashley Phillips is only 18 and cost just €2.3m. The teenage centre-back was loaned to Championship side Plymouth in January and has been a regular for them, so Spurs fans can be quite excited about this transfer.

Manor Solomon (Free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk): C

It is difficult and probably unfair to grade Manor Solomon's season given that he has been injured for most of it, but there were some promising signs prior to his being sidelined.

The winger notched two assists in five cameos before his injury, he cost Spurs nothing and is only 24. However, we can't give him more than a C due to his lack of minutes and because it seemed as though Postecoglou didn't fully at the start of the season, which could yet create some problems in the future.

Timo Werner (Loan from RB Leipzig): B

Last but not least, Timo Werner joined Spurs from RB Leipzig on loan in January and has been a pleasant surprise. Of course, he is still Timo Werner and his finishing still leaves a lot to be desired, but he immediately came into the team and proved to be an important player.

Spurs managed to negotiate a €17m buy option, which seems a very good deal on paper. This has been a pretty fruitful transfer all-round. Had Werner been a bit more prolific, we would have given him an A rather than a B.