Every modern Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is likely to be measured against Mousa Dembele, the Belgian having been such a force at the heart of Mauricio Pochettino’s beloved side.
The ‘Player’s Player’, he was everything a central midfielder should be. A powerhouse presence, yet with the guile and grace to be able to glide his way up the pitch with ease, such a sight in full flow.
In the wake of his exit in 2019, there have been far too many who have underwhelmed in that role, be it Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or Yves Bissouma, among others.
Hope rests on the £185m pairing of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to buck the trend this season, although the new duo might not actually be Tottenham’s modern-day version of Dembele.
Assessing Tonali and Fernandes’ starts to life at Spurs
Starting with Tonali, there were bright sparks in pre-season for the Italian, not least his goal against rivals Chelsea, yet the return to Premier League action hasn’t been kind to the £100m man.
Against Brentford on the opening weekend, Tonali and co were no match for the power and relentlessness of Keith Andrews’ side, including club-record Bees signing, Mamadou Sangare.
That was followed by a rough ride on his competitive home debut against former club Newcastle United, the 26-year-old replaced late on following a muted display, having recorded only 41 touches all evening.
As for Fernandes, the Portuguese only entered the fray off the bench in west London, yet his quality immediately shone through, recording a 92% pass accuracy rate as the visitors managed to stop the bleeding in the second half.
Still only 22, there’s a feeling that the ex-West Ham United man might even prove the better pick-up than Tonali, having again been at the heart of things against Newcastle.
Fernandes & Tonali – vs Newcastle | ||
|---|---|---|
Fernandes | Stat | Tonali |
90 | Minutes | 75 |
69 | Touches | 41 |
98% | Pass accuracy | 81% |
3 | Key passes | 2 |
1 | Big chances created | 1 |
7 | Ball lost | 8 |
0/0 | Succ. dribbles | 0/0 |
1 | Shots | 1 |
11.1 | Distance covered | 9.2 |
3/6 | Ground duels won | 2/3 |
0 | Dribbled past | 1 |
Operating in a more advanced role, he recorded a ridiculous 98% pass rate, including a 100% pass success in the opposition half, all while still supplying three key passes.
There’s a zip and energy to Fernandes’ game that has already caught the eye, with Spurs’ ability to beat Manchester United to his signature already looking like a masterstroke.
Is he the second coming of Dembele, however? Well, that honour might lie elsewhere in Roberto De Zerbi’s ranks.
Why Spurs star might be the “closest” thing to Dembele
Fans and pundits alike will be quick to jump to conclusions following a disappointing start to the campaign for the Lilywhites, but De Zerbi is still putting the pieces together after so much upheaval this summer.
There remains a raft of new signings to bed, while after the injury chaos of 2025/26, a string of returnees will also have to get back fit and firing again and find their place under this new regime.
Among those who Spurs could certainly do with getting back to his best is Mohammed Kudus, the Ghanaian returning to action off the bench against Newcastle, having been sidelined since January.
A player whom Brighton and Hove Albion previously tried to sign while De Zerbi was in charge, Kudus showed flashes of what he can do in the first-half of last term, scoring and assisting seven goals despite only starting 19 times.
Such a versatile, flexible asset too, while he’s not naturally deployed as a central midfielder like Dembele, his combination of pace, power and dribbling prowess certainly shares similarities to the Belgian genius.
Indeed, that is the view of pundit John Wenham, the Spurs expert suggesting last season that Kudus is the “closest” thing the club has seen to Dembele in his pomp.
“Kudus is like having two players rolled into one,” Wenham said. “On one hand, he’s this tricky, skilful right-winger that gets loads of goals and assists. On the other hand, he’s like a massively powerful central midfield player.
He’s the closest equivalent we’ve had to Mousa Dembele, in terms of the strength that he’s got and the way he holds players off, although they’re completely different players. Having those two abilities in one player is very, very dangerous.”
That comparison isn’t without merit, with much of Kudus’ game, like Dembele, centred around his ball-carrying ability, ranking in the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s big five leagues last term for successful dribbles per 90.
When in full flow, be it as a number ten, a box-to-box number eight, a winger or even as a false nine, the one-time Ajax star is so explosive, the type of player who can turn defence into attack in an instant.
His quality, as it did for Dembele, simply shines through, with 2026/27 hopefully set to be Kudus’ season as he seeks to make up for lost time after his injury-hit start this year.
