Tottenham have struck gold with their new Bale

Tottenham Hotspur believe it too. Confidence in the Londoners’ ability to try and escape this unexpected Premier League relegation battle had been dashed during the campaign, but Roberto De Zerbi has changed his mind.

Back-to-back wins in the Premier League allowed Spurs to leapfrog rivals West Ham United. They are now out of the danger zone and have three games to play. Two points are clear, too much is on the line.

While winning form at home still eludes them, Tottenham face Leeds United at the bottom of the N17 on Saturday afternoon, and a win against the Whites in 14th place, unbeaten in six Premier League games, would mark another important step – especially if the Hammers fail to beat Arsenal the day before.

De Zerbi has re-instilled a spirit of victory and bite in this Spurs team, but he has certainly lost the presence of a star, someone like Gareth Bale or Harry Kane to lead the way forward.

Soon, however, the Lilywhites need to maintain this new level of fluency and strengthen their backline.

Spurs’ defensive problems in 25/26

Tottenham have made 10 direct goal errors this season, underscoring the fragile and uncertain nature of the Londoners’ system, which is spread across three managers.

Whether Tottenham stay top or not, a lot has to change. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both face uncertain futures under the N17, and the supporting players at the back leave a lot to be desired to play a prominent role next year.

Injuries or not, there is no excuse for Tottenham to ship as many goals as they have during the Premier League campaign.

Romero and Van de Ven are Tottenham’s two best players, however, and ironically, they may have been the standouts this season despite widespread problems in defence.

Who says defenders can’t be champions? After all, Tottenham have the talent of a generation that could end up chasing players like Gareth Bale down Hotspur Way, and he has never been seen under De Zerbi.

Spurs have struck gold in the new Bale

Players like Bale only come once in a blue moon, but Tottenham may have signed their new version in Luka Vuskovic.

Although the 19-year-old is a full-back, he is not a loud defender with attacking quality, but we are not talking about positional value here; rather, the unique ability and potential to develop into a world-class star.

Currently on loan in Germany with Hamburg, Vuskovic is a young, yet one of the most impressive defenders in the Bundesliga, winning 7.5 duels per game and scoring five goals in 26 games from the back.

Maybe there is something Bale-esque about him after all. Tottenham need to stay in the Premier League, lest they be forced to part with their talented talent who need more football than the Championship.

After signing for the club from Hajduk Split for £12m in 2023, aged just 16, Vuskovic has yet to play for the Londoners, but even so, his impressive displays in a series of loan spells have boosted his value to £43m, according to the CIES Football Observatory, marking a staggering 250% increase.

Although Spurs already have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League, Vuskovic is playing with the maturity that shows he can be the mainstay of De Zerbi’s defense from the get-go.

After all, this is an “extraordinary talent”, says Como analyst and scout Ben Mattinson, who is joined by many in amazement at the athleticism, strength and command of the Croatian prodigy.

Vuskovic is not a striker, but he is a different kind of defender. Authoritative and natural, he does not bring a cerebral approach to the defensive game, but instead relies on an instinctive understanding that allows him to mix defensive brawn with focus on playing the ball.

Although Spurs have two top defenders in Romero and Van de Ven, Vuskovic could be cut from the finest cloth, and could end up being a European star next season, emulating Bale if not more.