Ange Postecoglou will be delighted with his Tottenham Hotspur side's victory over Newcastle United on Sunday evening, ending an abject run of form that had seen four losses and one draw from five Premier League matches.
This bout of results highlighted Spurs' fragility, still beset with residual problems from last year's eighth-placed finish, before the Australian's summer appointment.
The quality is there – such was evidenced following the tremendous ascent to the top of the table over the first months of the campaign – but reinforcements are needed in January if the London club are to fashion an impressive end to the term.
Tottenham transfer news – Samuel Iling-Junior
According to a recent report from Football Insider, Tottenham have bustled their way into pole position to sign Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior, with the young Englishman causing quite the storm with his precocious performances.
The 20-year-old is also on Newcastle United's radar but appears to be more likely to head to London, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy making the player his top priority for the January transfer window.
It's understood that the Old Lady would be willing to accept a £20m offer for Iling-Junior, whose contract in Turin expires in 2025, which makes for an affordable and interesting proposition for Postecoglou and co to consider.
How Samuel Iling-Junior compares to James Maddison
Iling-Junior is a former Chelsea academy prospect who departed for pastures new in Italy, learning his craft with Juventus and since wedging his way into first-team reckoning, albeit very much on the periphery this term with no starts in the league, though he has placed one assist.
Praised for his "flamboyant" style by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Iling-Junior is versatile and endowed with electric pace, with Old Lady manager Massimiliano Allegri fielding him both as a left-back and further up the channel during his time at the club.
Given that the £11k-per-week star is left-footed, Iling-Junior tends to linger out wide and stick to the touchline, where he can unleash balls into the box and stretch opposition defences, making good on his skill as an "assist machine", as was said by journalist Michele Neri.
As per FBref, the talented dynamo ranks among the top 4% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 16% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive carries, the top 14% for successful take-ons and the top 11% for tackles per 90.
This range of abilities highlights just how well he could perform in Postecoglou's fluid Spurs side, perhaps even proving to be a repeat of the summer deal to sign James Maddison from Leicester City for £40m in the summer.
Now, while Iling-Junior's compatriot is also among the finest creators in the Premier League, having been described as a "magician" by Statman Dave and creating a remarkable 2.9 key passes per game, assisting five times, to draw concrete comparisons is rather tenuous.
But both are exciting attacking outlets and, more importantly, Iling-Junior is being pursued by Newcastle, just as Maddison was before Spurs snapped up his signature.
The Magpies failed with a £50m offer in 2022 and ultimately missed out when Postecoglou made his move, but it must be one that Eddie Howe rues given that the 26-year-old is among the most influential players on English shores.
Having moved into pole position for Iling-Junior, the Lilywhites could repeat the feat, and must now do so to continue the resurgence and cement a permanent spot among the leading names at the forefront of the division.