Premier League goals:
Mata - 11
Silva - 4
Cazorla - 12

Premier League assists:
Mata - 12
Silva - 7
Cazorla - 11

Premier League chances created:
Mata - 91
Silva - 94
Cazorla - 97

Small wonder. The canteras are producing skillful little middies at an astonishing rate.

@Lodatz
True story...
And they still keep producing..
Isco and Thiago will shine at the future,hopefully..

Benat and Banega would tear PL apart if they played in england imo..

Iwould like to see some Spanish or Belgium player in our middle of the field .

"Benat and Banega would tear PL apart if they played in england imo.."

Yes, but you also think that Sevilla would be challenging for the title. Nuff said.

@Don: I have no doubt. If Isco were to team up with Silva, under Pellegrini at City.. that would be quite something.

Seeing how quickly Spain and Germany are churning out new players, it will be quite difficult to dislodge them from the top in Europe.

not win the title but fight for CL spots.. you cant really say otherwise

@knibis: sure I can, because they're not as good as City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham or even Everton. You originally said they'd challenge for the title, too, just to remind you.

@Fred: interestingly, this article just popped up in my news feed:

<http://www.touchlinetalk.com/ten-la-liga-players-tottenham-should-consider-signing/50409/11/>

Benat could actually be a great signing for Spurs. Perfect replacement for Modric for building up the play.

Meh. He'd be a great signing if the price isn't too high, sure, but I don't know about replacement for Modric, is the thing. It'd be a bold claim to make to say that he is as good as Modders, if that was what you meant. I mean, if that were the case, why would Madrid pay us 33m for Luka, when they could have gone for Benat for half the price, and already seen his performance in La Liga?

I also think that with Holtby, Dembele, and Tom Carroll coming through, all of whom are younger than Benat (by 4 or 5 years in the case of Holtby and Carroll), we've got a solid foundation for play-making already, and are hoping to pick up Alcantara, Roberto, or even maybe Moutinho. I've got nothing against Benat, or the idea of him coming to Spurs, but only if it's for a decent price -- he's not a high enough standard to spend big on, from what I've seen.

He could indeed be a great signing, but, not someone to bet the farm on, I think.

Maybe Swansea want him?

Oh yes.
Benat is a great player,the most important for Betis but i didn't refered to him only because he is 26(not old but not as young as the 2 i refered to).
As for joining spurs,i dont know if he will replace modric or something like this but i am sure that he can help Spurs a lot either if he starts at every game or if he comes from the bench to play a few minutes.
He will be a great solution for AVB .

@Don: Works for me. Again, only if the price isn't too high. It's the same reason I wasn't overly excited when we were linked (again) with Soldado. Sure he's a good striker, but is he worth a punt at £20m, which Valencia want for him?

Not really. We'd be better off going for Son and Salah, or focusing on Benteke. If he were £12m, then maybe.

It's all a result of the inflated prices that Spanish clubs (and Portuguese, mind you) have gotten used to charging for their talent, because rich clubs keep paying it. Non-rich clubs like Spurs have no option but to shrug and say: "Too much".

Cazorla costed only 15 million, so there are some bargains to be had as well. Correct me if I am wrong, but this season whenever I saw Spurs play, it felt like they had too much pace. While that can help in certain scenarios like against us when you came back from a 0-1 deficit, ultimately in a lot of scenarios, you need some patient build up which is where a technically sound creative player will fit right in.

"Cazorla costed only 15 million, so there are some bargains to be had as well"

And Michu only cost £2m, so I entirely agree. My point was just that some of the traditional larger clubs there have long been ramping up the price of any player who attracts an interest, eyes lighting up with euro signs as they lick their lips and rub their hands, expecting clubs like Spurs to shell out the kind of dough that richer clubs like Chelsea and City have been splashing.

I do agree that Spurs need a player like that -- just that since we're on a budget, I would rather look at a La Masia product who is grumpy at not getting game-time and might be sold on the cheap, than the lynch-pin of a team who only came up from the Segunda two seasons ago, and whose club will likely demand a hefty chunk of change for it.

It's not just Spain, either. Look at how Aston Villa are now expecting to charge £25+m for Benteke, who they picked up for £7m only last summer, for instance. For that kind of money I'd be picking up 2 of the top scorers from the Swiss or Dutch leagues.

Everyone gotta love Mata! :)

When Xavi hits 36 or so, Mata will be his permanent replacement.

look how lodatz speak when he does't follow la liga, dont think you know it all and that spurs are better than Sevilla is highly subjective!

oh come on knibis you still dreaming that La Liga is better than EPL.

@knibis How is that highly subjective? I'm a Chelsea fan and think that Spurs can beat Sevilla any day at the moment.

@ramaboy - really? Mata plays a much more attacking role, and Xavi plays a distributive role. There is nothing remotely similar in their style of play. Thiago would be a natural replacement for him.