Tottenham had a hidden quality in two former players that Giovani Lo Celso has replaced

Spurs appear to have allowed their two most progressive passers to leave the club

The primary objective in football is to score goals, that much is clear.

However, for that to happen, the ball usually has to reach the vicinity of the penalty box before a player is presented with the opportunity to shoot.

That is largely why players who are comfortable when required to execute penetrative forward passes are valuable in the modern game, as they contribute to their team's prospects of advancing up the pitch.

Some players prefer to place an emphasis on keeping possession by showcasing safe lateral passes, whereas others are naturally inclined to embrace risk, break lines and feed teammates higher up the field.

Tottenham have completed 1,178 progressive passes in the Premier League this season which places them eighth in the Premier League table overall.

Progressive passes are defined as completed passes that move the ball towards the opposition's goal at least 10 yards from its furthest point in the last six passes, or completed passes into the penalty box.

So who are the key contributors to Spurs ' ball progression? To determine, let's take a look at how frequently each player in the squad completes a progressive pass.

In the graphic below, Jose Mourinho's outfielders are ranked in accordance with the number of touches per progressive pass, with all players who have accumulated at least 300 touches for Spurs this season included.

The high-quality version of the above graphic can be viewed here.

For perspective, receiving a pass, then dribbling, then sending a pass counts as one touch.

Interestingly, Spurs have essentially allowed their two most progressive passers to leave the club in Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen.

The 29-year-old full-back was averaging a progressive pass every 9.2 touches before moving to Newcastle United, while Eriksen placed second with one every 11.4 touches.

Giovani Lo Celso, who many would argue was signed to replace the Dane, is now more likely to complete a progressive pass than any other player at the club when in possession of the ball, with one every 11.5 touches, following by Harry Winks every 11.6 touches.

Harry Kane 's average of one progressive pass every 12.6 touches is notable because strikers don't tend to contribute much regarding bringing their team closer to goal - they usually finish those moves instead.

Kane's average places him top of the list for strikers, and fourth once including forwards, behind only Willian, Marcus Rashford and Mohamed Salah - all of whom technically operate in deeper areas than the Spurs man.

The player who contributes the least frequently is Davinson Sanchez, with one progressive pass every 30 touches. That average places him 22nd from bottom for the whole of the Premier League.

Despite that, though, it's worth noting that defenders tend to make passes of this nature less frequently, hence why the bottom five for Spurs are defensive players - Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga.

Ultimately, Lo Celso has taken up the mantle from Rose and Eriksen as the Spurs player who's most inclined to bring his team up the field with a pass when on the ball, and considering he's experiencing his debut campaign in England, it's likely that he'll only improve.