Tottenham are reportedly in talks to bring Barcelona forward Memphis Depay back to the Premier League this summer, with Antonio Conte keen on adding more depth to his attacking ranks.
Conte's side have been busy in the transfer window this summer, with Spurs making five signings already including Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster ahead of next season. The addition of UEFA Champions League football to Spurs' schedule has seen Conte add lots of depth to his side, with Djed Spence set to make the move to north London as well.
The addition of Richarlison means Spurs currently have five senior forwards in their squad following the departure of Steven Bergwijn, and Conte is now reportedly keen on signing ex-Man United forward Depay. According to Spanish publication Sport, Barcelona reportedly want £17m for the Netherlands international, while Spurs are willing to spend £14.4m.
READ MORE: Djed Spence delay, Conte's strange timing and huge financial impact of Tottenham's Korea tour
So, if Depay was to make a move to Spurs ahead of the 2022/23 season, what sort of impact could he have on Conte's side? To find out, we simulated the 2022/23 season with Depay in the Spurs squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Memphis Depay for Spurs ahead of the 2022/23 season
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Depay to join Spurs ahead of the start of the 2022/23 season, using FM22 to run the simulation. As well as signing Depay, we also updated the squad with the newest Spurs signings, including Djed Spence.
Depay took a little bit of time adjusting to life at Spurs with the Dutch forward having to wait until late September for his first start in the Premier League. But, he became a vital part of Conte's plans, proving to be a fantastic rotation player as he made 41 appearances with 21 of them starts.
In those 41 appearances, Depay grabbed 14 goals and three assists, a fantastic return from a player who made only 21 starts in all competitions. 10 of his goals and all his assists came in the Premier League, with 26 of his total appearances coming in the league.
On average, Depay had a rating of 7.08 per game. By competition, his best performances came in the Carabao Cup where he averaged a 7.4 rating per game. When compared to the rest of the Spurs squad, Depay ended the season as Spurs' fourth highest scorer, with Kane (23), Son (18) and Kulusevski (16) grabbing more. With the addition of Depay, Richarlison struggled in his first few months and failed to climb the pecking order after, making just 19 appearances, with just five starts.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Spurs XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what the Spurs' best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Spurs best XI (3-4-3): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Doherty, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Reguilon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
Despite scoring 14 goals across the season, Depay didn't make the best XI, with Kane, Son and Kulusevski claiming the front three roles. New signing Lenglet started at centre-back, but neither Perisic or Spence could get into the best XI as they averaged worse ratings than Sergio Reguilon and Matt Doherty respectfully.
So, how did Spurs perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Depay ahead of the 2022/23 season? Let's take a look.
Spurs' results from the 2022/23 simulation
Spurs ended the Premier League campaign in fourth place once again, earning themselves a spot in the Champions League for the second year running. Not only did they claim a top four spot, but they did it by topping two impressive stats in the league.
Spurs ended the season as the Premier League's top goalscorers, with the attacking depth up-front helping combine for a total of 82 goals in 38 games - eight more than the second best, Chelsea. They also had the best goal difference in the league as they conceded just 35 goals over the course of the season, two better than Man City.
Despite their incredible goalscoring form, Conte was unable to lead Spurs to a trophy in the simulation, with the Lilywhites coming extremely close to finding some silverware. After beating Arsenal 3-0 in the semi-final, Spurs faced Man City in the FA Cup final, but Julian Alvarez scored the only goal of the game as Man City won 1-0.
Spurs also reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup as they played Chelsea in the same round of the competition for the second year running, but the Blues beat Conte's side on penalties, going on to beat Liverpool in the final and win the competition. Spurs topped their group in the Champions League with 13 points, but a 3-2 loss on aggregate saw Atletico Madrid advance past the Round of 16.
Overall, if Memphis Depay were to sign for Spurs ahead of the 2022/23 season, this simulation suggests that the forward could give Antonio Conte the best attack in the league, with his addition to their attacking ranks pushing the current front three of Son, Kane and Kulusevski to another level. Though Depay's arrival saw Richarlison struggle, and after forking out £60m on the Brazilian, it could potentially be a waste to bring in Depay and halt his progress.
Would you like to see Memphis Depay in a Spurs shirt next season? Let us know in the comments!
READ NEXT:
- Troy Parrott explains what Antonio Conte told him he wants from him as a Tottenham striker
- Tottenham news and transfers LIVE: All the latest updates and rumours from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Full Tottenham Premier League fixture list for 2022/23
Lucas Moura describes his Conte talks, his Tottenham future and what Richarlison is really like
Son Heung-min explains what has already happened between him and 'quality' Richarlison
