If Arne Slot is to become the next Tottenham manager this summer and succeed Antonio Conte at the helm, the Dutchman may indeed want to bring players to the football club he is already familiar with. It is not an uncommon occurrence for head coaches to sign players they have worked with previously as they know exactly what they will offer.
Just last summer Conte and Ivan Perisic joined forces once again as Tottenham wrapped up a deal for the experienced Croat with his Inter Milan contract coming to an end. So could Slot, providing of course he becomes the Italian's long-term successor in N17, make a swift return to Feyenoord for any of their star players?
Having seen their squad decimated last summer after reaching the Europa Conference League final, the same could very well happen to the Rotterdam club this time around after their Eredivisie title success. Santiago Gimenez will attract plenty of attention after registering 23 goals in 43 appearances for Feyenoord this term and captain Orkan Kokcu will also be of interest to many after a fine campaign.
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Joining Feyenoord's youth academy in 2014 and later making his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in September 2018, Kokcu has become a mainstay in the heart of midfield. Despite his tender years, the 22-year-old is clearly highly regarded by those at De Kuip as Slot named him as captain at the beginning of this campaign.
It has proved to be a memorable first season wearing the armband as the Turkish international has led Feyenoord to Eredivisie title success and also a place in the Europa League quarter-finals. Capable of playing as an attacking midfielder but operating in more of a box-to-box role for the Dutch club, Kokcu has quite the impact for his team in the final third.
In his 44 appearances to date this term, the Haarlem-born player has contributed 12 goals and five assists. The midfielder is one shy of his 18 goal involvements (nine goals and nine assists) from last season but he has two games remaining in the league season to either equal or better that total.
Certainly needing some more quality in the team and a player who can supply the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski going forward on a regular basis, Kokcu's attacking numbers are very impressive on the eye. According to FBref, the Turkish star attempts 83.57 passes and 12.17 progressive passes per 90. The player also ranks highly for progressive carries at 2.87 per 90.
Only Ajax's Jurrien Timber betters him for passes into the final third in the Eredivisie after making 314 compared to Kokcu's 290, with the Feyenoord ace way ahead of PSV's Joey Veerman for progressive passes at 341 to 281. Registering excellent numbers from his central midfield role for Feyenoord, Kokcu could quite easily move further forward and play as an attacking midfielder if Tottenham were to make a summer move for him.
Much has been made of the Lilywhites not replacing Christian Eriksen since he departed N17 in January 2020 and fans have been desperate to see a new attacking midfielder brought to the club. Spurs' performances this season have demonstrated that a player to operate in that role and knit things together really would benefit the team and see more chances created and potentially goals in turn.
Having played with a 3-4-3 system over the past 18 months and not having a designated role for an attacking midfielder in the team, the potential appointment of Slot would likely see Tottenham switch to either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system. Regardless of which one of the two setups he opts for, a creative midfielder will be required to ensure that things click for the team in the final third.
Leicester City's James Maddison has been linked with a switch to Tottenham but it remains to be seen if Spurs will move for him and can clinch his signature as there will be other interested parties who may be able to offer Champions League football to the England international.
Kokcu, who is valued at £26million by CIES Football Observatory, would be an excellent acquisition to play in the attacking midfield role, especially if he can replicate his outstanding numbers from the Eredivisie in the Premier League.
With Slot looking destined for England's top flight at some point in the future, the same goes for Kokcu after taking the Eredivisie by storm.
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