Tottenham Hotspur are set to continue their revolution under Ange Postecoglou, with one more creative target having piqued their interest.
What's the latest on Hakan Calhanoglu to Tottenham?
The latest player in question is Hakan Calhanoglu, with his links to a north London switch coming courtesy of InterLive.it.
Appreciated by the Lilywhites among other English clubs, the report suggests that Inter Milan must keep an eye out on the growing Premier League interest, with special reference to Spurs.
This is due to the €35m (£30m) bid they could be set to make, in an effort to force the hand of the Nerazzurri.
Would Hakan Calhanoglu improve Tottenham?
With a past as a leading attacking midfielder, but having since reverted into more of a well-rounded deep-lying playmaker of late, the Turkey international could offer impeccable balance to Postecoglou's new-look side, and hand James Maddison a perfect new partner with which to kickstart his career at this club alongside.
The early parts of his career in the number ten role have afforded this 29-year-old magician remarkable technical prowess, however with a work rate and defensive know-how that few would have predicted to emerge, Calhanoglu has arguably never been as influential as he is right now.
He starred in the heart of Simone Inzaghi's side that reached the Champions League final, whilst also thriving in the Serie A too.
In fact, his 7.31 average rating in the league was the highest in the entire division. This was a figure largely buoyed by his nine goal contributions, 88% pass accuracy, 2.2 key passes and 1.5 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
This has hardly been a surprising season though, as former boss Stefano Pioli always expected big things from him. Especially given he had branded him a "leader on the pitch and "an intelligent player" only in 2020.
Having slowly slipped further down the pitch as he has grown older, it is hard not to draw comparisons with another ageing creator in Christian Eriksen.
The Denmark international spent seven fine years in north London, recording 159 goal contributions across 305 games, and becoming a fine fan favourite before his eventual exit to the Milan club in question. The 2016/17 season arguably saw him at his offensive best, with his 7.46 average rating feeding into the eight goals and 15 assists he would record in the league, via Sofascore.
Given the 31-year-old now plies his trade at Manchester United, in a role similar to the one Calhanoglu occupies for Inter, these similarities are only intensified.
To place him alongside Maddison, who would offer a much-needed injection of goals to the Spurs midfield, could see them strike up a fine partnership which is both balanced enough to defend, but potent enough to threaten opposition defences.
Last term the former Leicester City man notched ten goals and nine assists in a league campaign where his team would fall to the drop. However, averaging 1.7 tackles per game suggest he is more than capable of operating alongside another, to share both the offensive and defensive workload.
As Postecoglou has earned success in the past by deploying two attack-minded eights within his systems, these two creative leaders could provide the ideal balance to spearhead a press and back up the imperious Harry Kane.