Who is Florian Neuhaus? The Gladbach controller interesting Tottenham and Bayern

The tipped eventuality of any promising German player in the Bundesliga is that they sign for Bayern Munich. Mario Gotze and Leon Goretzka were rising stars in Germany's top tier, impressing for Borussia Dortmund and Schalke, respectively, before moving to the Bavarian powerhouse. 

The pair endured contrasting fortunes with Bayern, however that won't stop FC Hollywood from pursuing potential interest in the next top talent off the conveyor belt, the latest of whom is Gladbach's rising star Florian Neuhaus. Dieter Hecking uncovered a gem in the Gladbach squad and sought to build his midfield around the 23-year-old, something successor Marco Rose has continued and the Bundesliga side has benefitted from the youngster's impact in the middle of the park. 

Since breaking on to the Bundesliga scene in 2018 following a successful loan stint with Fortuna Duesseldorf, where he played his part in guiding the Flingeraner to the Bundesliga II title, Neuhaus has gone from strength to strength in Germany's top tier. In his debut Bundesliga campaign, he ended with eight league assists to his name, that the 11th best in the division in 2018/19 and since than, he has gone one to become a more imperious figure in the Gladbach midfield, with his passes per 90 increasing with each passing campaign. 

While this has seen his creative levels dip somewhat - after averages of 1.3 and 1.1 key passes per 90 in 2018/19 and 2019/20, Neuhaus is returning 0.8 key passes per 90 this season - it highlights a greater level of control in the Gladbach midfield. It means that Neuhaus, rather than create the chances as he did so regularly in his debut Bundesliga campaign that saw him yield eight assists, the youngster rather links the play between the defence and attack. 

This is noted in that 35.8% of his passes in the Bundesliga this season are forward passes, that the sixth highest proportion of all Gladbach players, though the five above him are defenders or goalkeeper Yann Sommer. It's part of the development that has seen Neuhaus drop into a deeper holding role in order to help keep play ticking over for Gladbach. Indeed, having started 10 times in this position in the Bundesliga last season, he has done so 13 times in Germany's top tier this term. 

Of course his controlling displays in midfield haven't gone under the radar. Bayern, of course, are credited with an interest, so too are Borussia Dortmund, the latter a possible destination for Rose as a replacement for current interim boss Edin Terzic. LaLiga giants Real Madrid are also monitoring Neuhaus, perhaps as a potential successor for compatriot Toni Kroos at the Bernabeu, while Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is eyeing the German as a partner for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as he reshapes his midfield. 

The latter move, while perhaps not as glamourous a switch, makes sense for Spurs, who are looking for a midfielder to direct the play in Mourinho's favoured 4-2-3-1. Moussa Sissoko has been used in the double pivot should Mourinho look to inject some urgency and runs from deep, while Harry Winks has come back into the Spurs fold of late as the Portuguese boss seeks to dictate the tempo in the middle of the park. 

However, Winks hasn't had the desired effect for the north London side, which has seen Spurs supposedly turn their attention to Neuhaus. That said, they'd have to beat off some elite competition to land Neuhaus, but there's a good reason why he is a rumoured target for Mourinho's side. 

It's similar for Real Madrid, who may consider Neuhaus the natural heir for Kroos in Spain, even if the Gladbach ace has moved to distance himself from comparisons with the Los Blancos star and compatriot Bastian Schweinsteiger, recently stating: "It honours me to be compared with such players. But being reduced to comparisons is difficult." 

Nevertheless, with a supposed €40m release clause in his contract that can be triggered in the summer, Neuhaus will be a man in demand. Even without that clause, there's a good reason why a host of Europe's top teams are keeping tabs on the Gladbach controller who continues to go from strength to strength.