Dejan Kulusevski is thriving at Tottenham after being moved into a central midfield role by Ange Postecoglou this campaign.
The Swede played primarily as a winger during his first two-and-a-half seasons in north London. And while he provided creativity from out wide, he has been even more influential since slotting into the middle of the park, where he started alongside Yves Bissouma and James Maddison against West Ham on Saturday.
With the freedom to drop deeper alongside Bissouma or venture forward with Maddison, Kulusevski was all over the pitch for Spurs. And his superb general play was rewarded with a well-taken equaliser, which squirmed in off both posts, while he played a key role in the Alphonse Areola own goal which increased the hosts' lead in a 4-1 win.
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After the game, Kulusevski made it crystal clear to Postecoglou that he sees himself primarily as a central playmaker and would not be keen on returning to the flanks.
"That’s my position," he stated. "I’m taking huge steps and I feel free. When I feel free, I can do what I’ve been doing all my life - creating chances, scoring goals and assisting my team-mates."
Kulusevski showed flashes of huge promise during his early years in Italy with Atalanta, Parma and Juventus. Now 24 years old, the Stockholm-born talent is playing the best football of his career and leading Europe's midfielders in a range of creative metrics.
In terms of key passes, progressive runs, accelerations and deep completions, no midfielder in Europe can rival Kulusevski's numbers on a per-90-minute basis. And in terms of dribbles and offensive duels, he's currently the most prolific in the Premier League.
Spurs striker Dominic Solanke is one of the beneficiaries of Kulusevski's sparkling form, which has helped him make a smooth transition from Bournemouth to a high-pressure environment in north London following his £65million summer move.
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"He’s a great player," said Solanke. "This season he has been phenomenal for us. We need our players to be in top form, especially in the Premier League. We want to do as well as we can, so to have players like that in our team is definitely going to help.
"We’re so confident in each other and we know we’re always going to create chances with the way we play, so it’s just about sticking together and believing."
