Tottenham Hotspur supporters have long searched for a player capable of filling the void left by the legendary Mousa Dembele since his departure in 2019.
The Belgian was widely considered the ultimate central midfielder during his time at Spurs, combining raw power with remarkable grace and technical ability in equal measure.
Players like Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Yves Bissouma have all attempted to fill that role in north London, with none managing to do so convincingly.
Hope has now been pinned on the £185m pairing of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to finally provide Spurs with a genuine midfield engine room this season.
Tonali showed bright moments in pre-season, including a goal against Chelsea, but the £100m Italian has struggled for impact in the opening Premier League fixtures.
Against Brentford on the opening weekend, Spurs were outmuscled and overrun, before Tonali produced a muted showing against Newcastle United, registering just 41 touches across 75 minutes.
Fernandes has looked more encouraging, posting a remarkable 98% pass accuracy against Newcastle including a 100% pass success rate in the opposition half, alongside three key passes.
Still only 22, the former West Ham United man recorded 69 touches in 90 minutes against Newcastle, covering 11.1 kilometres and creating three key passes in a commanding display.
The Portuguese midfielder’s zip and energy have already drawn widespread admiration, with Spurs beating Manchester United to his signature now looking like a significant coup.
Yet despite the excitement surrounding both new arrivals, pundit John Wenham believes the player who most closely resembles Dembele is actually already at the club.
Mohammed Kudus, the Ghanaian attacker returning from injury, has drawn that comparison from Wenham, who made the observation last season during the midfielder’s impressive early form.
“Kudus is like having two players rolled into one,” Wenham said. “On one hand, he’s this tricky, skilful right-winger that gets loads of goals and assists. On the other hand, he’s like a massively powerful central midfield player.”
Wenham went further, saying: “He’s the closest equivalent we’ve had to Mousa Dembele, in terms of the strength that he’s got and the way he holds players off, although they’re completely different players. Having those two abilities in one player is very, very dangerous.”
The statistics support that assessment, with Kudus ranking in the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s big five leagues for successful dribbles per 90 minutes last term.
Despite only starting 19 times in the first half of last season, Kudus contributed to seven goals before injury cut his campaign short and ruled him out since January.
His versatility adds another layer to his value, capable of operating as a number ten, a box-to-box eight, a winger or even a false nine under Roberto De Zerbi.
Brighton and Hove Albion previously attempted to sign Kudus while De Zerbi was in charge at the Amex, making the reunion between manager and target all the more intriguing.
Kudus came off the bench against Newcastle in his return to action, offering Spurs fans a tantalising glimpse of what could be to come as he builds back towards full fitness.
With the 2026/27 season still in its early stages and De Zerbi still integrating a raft of new signings, Kudus hitting top form could prove the most exciting subplot of Tottenham’s campaign.