A brief glance at the statistics tells a story of a footballer struggling for form.
A man who took the league by storm during his maiden top-flight campaign struggling to recapture lightning in a bottle. A classic case of second season syndrome, perhaps.
But the apparent drop-off afflicting Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa must be taken with a hearty slice of context and a cool, tall glass of ‘not quite as it seems’.
The Croatia international failed to produce a single assist in 15 consecutive Bundesliga games between August and February.
A far cry from his outstanding 2019/20 campaign, in which Sosa set up nine goals for his grateful Stuttgart team-mates, earning comparisons to none other than David Beckham thanks to his unique ability to put a ball on a sixpence from almost any range and any angle.
So why, when you consider how far his numbers have fallen, do Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal want to bring Sosa to the Premier League next summer, as reported by BILD’s Christian Falk?
Is Borna Sosa Spurs’ Sergio Reguilon replacement?
Well, comparisons can perhaps be drawn with another player Spurs have tried to sign this year.
In 2019/20, Adama Traore produced nine league assists for Wolverhampton Wanderers. In 2020/21, he mustered just two.
But it has to be said that Raul Jimenez, the man who turned so many of Traore’s crosses into goals, missed the majority of last season through injury.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, have been forced to make do without their own talismanic striker of late; 6f 7ins targetman Sasa Kalajdzic.
Five of Sosa’s nine assists last term were for Kalajdzic. And it’s no coincidence that, with the Austria international back from injury, Sosa’s run of 15 games without an assist came to an end against Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this month.
A typically wondrous left-footed cross, put away by guess who? That’s right. Kalajdzic.
Sosa is tailor-made for Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2. A wing-back capable of hugging the touchline all on his own and providing a regular stream of high-quality chances from the flanks.
But do Tottenham really need him? When they’ve already got Sergio Reguilon flying down the wing.
Back to Madrid?
Well, things aren’t quite that simple. The Mirror (13th February, page 72) reports that Real Madrid are planning to activate the £34 million buy-back clause in Reguilon’s contract. If they do just that, Tottenham will be powerless to prevent one of their few consistent performers heading for the exit.
Interest in Sosa may be a clear sign that they are preparing for life without Reguilon. But every cloud, as they say, has a silver lining. Reguilon may be a fine attacking full-back but he lacks Sosa’s sheer technical quality.
And while Harry Kane might not be quite as colossal as the sky-scraping Kalajdzic, expect Tottenham’s captain to score his fair share of headers next season if the Balkan Beckham rocks up in North London.
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