As clichéd as it sounds, it really was a Premier League campaign of two halves for Tottenham Hotspur last season.
Ange Postecoglou got off to a brilliant start, seeing his side go unbeaten in their first ten league games, but come the final whistle on the final day, they had slipped down to fifth place.
While Europa League qualification is nothing to scoff at, it was a slightly disappointing finish considering the Lilywhites' start, and the player who best encapsulated this downturn in form was James Maddison.
The Englishman's second half of the campaign was nothing like his first, but the latest player touted for a move to N17 could be just the striker to revive his form.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from the Spanish-American network TUDNRadio, Tottenham have maintained their interest in Feyenoord forward Santiago Gimenez.
They claim that the Mexican international is "very close" to joining Spurs and that while there is also interest from La Liga giants Atlético Madrid, we are entering "crucial hours" for the player to decide "his future."
The report does not mention a potential price the Lilywhites would have to pay, but reports from Italy last month claimed that offers of around €50m, which converts to about £42m, might be enough to tempt the Dutch side into selling.
It's not a cheap deal by any means, and the interest from Atlético is far from ideal, but it looks like this really could happen, and based on his record last season, seeing him play alongside Maddison should excite fans.
Why Gimenez would be a great teammate for Maddison
Only two Tottenham players, Son Heung-min and Richarlison, reached double figures for goals across all competitions last season, and considering the latter only hit 12 goals, that's a serious problem. However, it's one Gimenez could fix.
In his 41 games for Feyenoord last season, the 23-year-old's performance was nothing short of exceptional. He scored 26 goals and provided eight assists, averaging a goal involvement every 1.20 games, which is a frankly ridiculous rate of return.
In fact, his goal haul alone is better than Dejan Kulusevski's, Richarlison's and Brennan Johnson's, and his tally of eight assists would make him the third-best provider in the North Londoners squad.
Appearances
41
31
39
38
Goals
26
12
8
5
Assists
8
4
3
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.82
0.51
0.28
0.39
His genuinely impressive ability to put chances away would help Maddison supercharge his assist numbers, as according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Englishman is in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for shot-creating actions and progressive passes, the top 2% for attempted passes and the top 7% for assists, all per 90.
This measurement has been taken across the last 365 days, so even though he tailed off following his return from injury, scoring one goal and providing four assists in 17 league games, he was still creating an impressive number of chances for his teammates who, in turn, could not finish them.
Therefore, adding a player as clinical as the "Mexican machine," as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, to the team can only help the former Leicester City ace's numbers shoot back up and get back to his best.
Ultimately, based on Gimenez's form last season and Maddison's underlying numbers across the last year, this could be a transformative signing for the club and the Englishman individually, and one that'll be well worth the money.
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