A newspaper report suggested that Tottenham made an enquiry for the Everton playmaker.
Tottenham have made an enquiry over the availability of Everton winger Kevin Mirallas according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
There is an element of doubt over the Belgian’s future at Goodison Park, as he told the Liverpool Echo last week that he will delay talks over his future until the summer. Mirallas’s deal runs out at the end of next season.
It represents an interesting move for Tottenham though, as they have plenty of players who can play in the wide areas such as Andros Townsend, Erik Lamela and Aaron Lennon. He can of course, play inside, but his strength is primarily in the wide positions.
Mauricio Pochettino may see Lamela playing in a more central role while Lennon’s future is more and more in doubt with reports linking him with a move away from White Hart Lane.
So that leaves Townsend, who was subject to speculation earlier on in the season so it may make sense for the club to look at another wide player. But how does he compare to their existing options?
Premier League stats 2013/14 & 2014/15
| Team | Goals | Total Att Assist GAME | Beating A Player Accuracy % | On Target Shooting Accuracy | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Mirallas | Everton | 13 | 1.55 | 42.38 | 32% | 47 | 3,206 |
| Andros Townsend | Tottenham | 2 | 0.94 | 50.72 | 37% | 34 | 1,607 |
| Erik Lamela | Tottenham | 1 | 1.29 | 49.06 | 29% | 28 | 1,666 |
| Aaron Lennon | Tottenham | 1 | 1.22 | 37.65 | 26% | 36 | 2,463 |
This compares Mirallas to the players mentioned both this season and last. He has been played far more regularly than the Tottenham trio so it probably isn’t a surprise that his attempted assists per game is the highest of the lot. But he is lower in terms of percentage of beating players than both Lamela and Townsend, and still trails Townsend when it comes to shooting accuracy.
However, with a side that reliant on two or three players to score their goals at the moment, the goals that Mirallas brings to the team may have been something that has attracted Pochettino.
If we have a look at this season’s stats:
Premier League stats 2014/15
| Position | Team | Goals | Total Att Assist GAME | Beating A Player Accuracy | On Target Shooting Accuracy | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Mirallas | MF | Everton | 5 | 0.8 | 39.58 | 28% | 15 | 876 |
| Erik Lamela | MF | Tottenham | 1 | 1.58 | 48.86 | 30% | 19 | 1,340 |
| Andros Townsend | MF | Tottenham | 1 | 0.67 | 11.11 | 45% | 9 | 382 |
| Aaron Lennon | MF | Tottenham | 0 | 1 | 28.57 | 0% | 9 | 276 |
This season, it is a case of the goals coming across as the most appealing statistic once again. In every other area of a season that has been injury-hit for Mirallas, Lamela has outshone him. Townsend has had to earn this place in the Tottenham side, while it demonstrates Lennon is out of favour. Mirallas is streets ahead of the pair when it comes to beating a player, but trails Townsend in the shooting accuracy statistics.
Overall, goals are the stand-out statistic if Spurs want to bring in Mirallas and provides a different option, but the statistics say he isn’t necessarily a better one.
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