As cliché as it is, Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League campaign was a season of two halves this year.
Ange Postecoglou's side got off to a blinder in August, going undefeated for ten games and looking ready for a title race, until their home game against Chelsea, in which they lost Micky van de Ven and James Maddison to injury and subsequently lost four games on the bounce.
The rest of the season was incredibly inconsistent for the North Londoners as they eventually slipped from a nailed-on Champions League spot to fifth place and the Europa League.
Maddison probably best embodied the club's form, as his incredible start to the year was followed by a lacklustre second half, culminating in his exclusion from England's European Championships squad and based on the latest player touted for a move to N17 this summer, he could have a fight on his hands to keep his place in Postecoglou's team.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report out of Brazil, Spurs are keen on signing Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira this summer and have already 'expressed their interest' in the player.
The report has revealed that the Lilywhites, Newcastle United, and Aston Villa are also interested, and the Cottagers have valued their player at between £30m and £35m.
The added competition is far from ideal, but the fee seems reasonable for a Premier League-proven midfielder, let alone one who has played for Brazil, so Levy and Co should be looking to bring Pereira to the club, as the added competition can only do Maddison good in the long term.
How Pereira compares to Maddison
Now, the first thing to say is that if Spurs do go ahead and bring in Pereira this summer, it's unlikely that he would just immediately replace the former Foxes man in attacking midfield.
The club spent around £40m on the Englishman last year, and while his form in the latter half of the season fell off a cliff – one goal and four assists in 17 games – his output in the first ten games – three goals and five assists – was impressive enough to warrant giving him a second chance.
That said, Fulham's Brazilian ace also enjoyed a relatively fruitful season in West London, racking up three goals and nine assists in 44 games across all competitions for a weaker side.
Appearances
44
30
Goals
3
4
Assists
9
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.27
0.43
With that said, how do the pair's underlying numbers stack up against one another? Well, unsurprisingly, the Lilywhites star comes out ahead in most metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals and assists, passing accuracy, shot-creating actions and shots on target, per 90.
However, the Cottagers' star does come out on top in specific statistics such as ball recoveries, aerial duels won, and goals per shot on target, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.40
0.52
Shots on Target
0.55
0.97
Goals per Shot on Target
0.19
0.17
Passing Accuracy
70.4%
80.7%
Shot-Creating Actions
4.72
6.79
Ball Recoveries
3.41
2.53
Aerial Duels
0.45
0.13
Moreover, one area the "outstanding" 28-year-old, as described by his manager Marco Silva, has the former Norwich City star beat handily is in availability.
Since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, the Duffel-born midfielder has missed just ten games through injury, whereas his potential new teammate has missed 46 matches in the same period.
Ultimately, while Maddison still looks to be the better player, signing Pereira would still be a good idea.
He's talented enough to rival the Englishman for a place in the team, and his injury record means he'd be able to step in the next time the Spurs ace is out injured.
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