Tottenham's under-the-radar pre-season ace is giving Ange Postecoglou exactly what he wants

Dejan Kulusevski has perhaps not found his name in the headlines during Tottenham's pre-season campaign despite making a big impression for Ange Postecoglou

Dejan Kulusevski's start to Tottenham's pre-season campaign may have gone slightly under the radar at a time when a number of his teammates have been grabbing the headlines. A starter in Tottenham's encounter against J.League side Vissel Kobe on Saturday, the Swede had a say on the game as the Lilywhites ran out 3-2 winners.

Starting as part of a midfield three at Hearts and coming on there against QPR due to Lucas Bergvall's injury, Kulusevski played in an entirely different role against Vissel Kobe. This time he led the line as Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min started either side of him.

The Swedish ace was given a go in the position on the final day of last season at Sheffield United and demonstrated that he can be utilised there after notching two goals. The 24-year-old may not have got his name on the scoresheet at Tokyo's National Stadium on Saturday but he registered another impressive assist as Pedro Porro opened the scoring.

Taking in Archie Gray's pass and swivelling on the ball before going wide to Johnson, Kulusevski received possession back from the Wales international and played a first-time backheel into the path of the onrushing right-back. Porro duly did the rest and found the bottom corner after cutting inside to finish with his weaker foot. It was superb play from Kulusevski.

It's not the first time the ex-Juventus man has been heavily involved in Tottenham's goals so far in pre-season. Teaming up with James Maddison on a few occasion against Hearts, the duo combined to perfection in the 39th minute as Tottenham's No.21 pulled off an incredible flick when playing a one-two with Maddison, who in turn put the ball on a plate for Johnson to convert from close range.

Three days later, Kulusevski was at his creative best again as Yves Bissouma opened the scoring at Loftus Road. Following a really positive run towards the box from the Mali international, his teammate slipped him in with a lovely first-time pass and Bissouma advanced to round the goalkeeper and score.

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The confidence is very much there in Kulusevski's game at present and his three assists are proof of that. It could potentially bode very well for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham heading into the new season.

After making such an electric start to his Tottenham career with five goals and eight assists in his first 18 Premier League appearances under Antonio Conte, the attacking ace has struggled to maintain those ridiculously high levels. The goals and assists were a bit harder to come by the following season but in 2023/24 Kulusevski finished the year with eight goals and three assists.

The player's form was still a talking point as there were occasions when he failed to influence proceedings and that duly raised question marks about his place in the side. However, his importance to Postecoglou and his way of playing can be seen from the fact that he started 31 of his 36 Premier League appearances last campaign.

If indeed Postecoglou can get Kulusevski back to the levels he displayed after first making the move from Juventus, Tottenham will have some player on their hands next term. The Stockholm-born star has made a very strong start to pre-season and hopefully it is a sign of things to come.

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