How much fun can it really be as a talented creative player at the wrong end of the Premier League?

We like to tell ourselves that only Real Madrid and Barcelona, or maybe Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, are more attractive destinations than playing over here. That if you cannot play for a super club then, well, you might as well stay in England and take the money.

Nowhere else in the world pays mid-table players like the Premier League does. And the story of the last few decade has been the pulling-power of England’s ‘Bottom 14’ over the top sides in mid-level European countries. Like Davy Klaassen leaving Ajax for Everton, or Georginio Wijnaldum leaving PSV Eindhoven for Newcastle. Or any of Wolves’ good recent imports, or Fulham’s bad ones.

But last summer, Dusan Tadic decided to go the other way. He had played four good years at Southampton. But the team was on the slide, the best players had left and the managerial appointments were getting worse every time. He spent the end of last season playing for a Mark Hughes team that only just scraped to safety, with little prospect of imminent improvement.

So Tadic left it all behind, to return to Holland, to play for Ajax. It was a surprise: he was Saints’ best player, and he was going to play in Europe’s 11th ranked league, behind Ukraine and Turkey. And he did not do it for money, either. Ajax pushed the boat out for Tadic, paying him a £3million salary. A lot for them, but not a lot for the Premier League.

Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Show all 23 1 /23 Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax We run the rule over the two teams after a tough night for Tottenham. AFP Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Hugo Lloris − 6 Was left utterly helpless for Ajax’s first goal, with his defence akimbo and Donny van de Beek breathing down his neck. Made a very smart stop to deny the same player just moments later. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Toby Alderweireld − 6 Struggled in the very early stages, as did every player in white. But improved after Jan Vertonghen’s nasty head injury, which forced Spurs to switch to playing four at the back. REUTERS Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Davinson Sanchez − 6 Like Toby Alderweireld, improved immeasurably after the tactical switch. Was kept busy in a nervy first-half, although did do very well to twice catch up with threatening Ajax counter-attacks. Getty Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Jan Vertonghen − 6 Bravely attempted to battle on after a nasty clash of heads with team-mate Toby Alderweireld left him looking like a considerably better groomed Terry Butcher. Wisely substituted himself and appeared to be in danger of collapsing on the touchline, although fortunately made a recovery in the Tottenham dressing room. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Kieran Trippier − 5 Tottenham’s three at the back system was designed to protect Kieran Trippier’s flaws, but he made an inauspicious start to this match, playing Donny van de Beek onside for Ajax’s opener. Didn’t get much better and overhit a number of passes in the second-half, which resulted in a chorus of groans. Man City via Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Victor Wanyama − 5 What a player he was before his knee unfortunately crumbled to dust at the start of last season. In fairness he began to get a grip on the game after a painfully shaky start, but he remains a weakness. Getty Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Christian Eriksen − 6 A difficult night for the Dane, who was often caught in two minds over whether to remain alongside Victor Wanyama in Tottenham’s midfield or glide forward. Did get much better in the second-half, although he is capable of much, much more. Spurs will need him to step up in Amsterdam. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Dele − 6 Has been running on empty for at least a fortnight now. Like the vast majority of Tottenham’s players, improved after the tactical switch and had a good chance to equalise at the start of the second-half, instead wastefully heading over the bar. He deserves some time off, to be frank. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Danny Rose − 5 He just cannot resist diving in, can he? Woefully disorganised in the opening exchanges and could have been sent off for petulantly lashing out at Joel Veltman. Bombed forward well but not his greatest night. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Lucas Moura − 5 Barely noticed he was playing. Kept exceptionally quiet by Ajax’s kindergarteners at the back. Getty Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Fernando Llorente − 5 In many ways, the quintessential Fernando Llorente performance. Ugly, gutsy, clumsy, ever so slightly amusing and not especially that effective: tried hard but spurned one of Tottenham’s best chances when he headed wide under little pressure in the first-half. AFP Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Andre Onan − 6 Didn’t have an awful lot to do. Difficult to think of what to write really, so here are some stats: 2 clearances, 16 passes, 15 of which were long balls. Interesting! Also did his fair share of time-wasting, the rotter. REUTERS Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Joel Veltman − 6 Spent much of this match in a petty two-man war with Danny Rose. When he wasn’t pulling the full-back’s shirt or himself being dragged back he was effective going forward, combining nicely with the standout Donny van de Beek. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Daley Blind − 7 The veteran Dutchman enjoyed a successful return to England. Marking Fernando Llorente isn’t an especially onerous task but he did it well enough, and his pace helped him keep Lucas Moura equally quiet on the rare occasions Spurs were able to counter-attack. AFP/Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Matthijs de Ligt − 7 Matthjis de Ligt is nineteen. Nineteen! The youngest ever player to captain his team in a Champions League semi-final was suitably composed this evening, keeping Fernando Llorente quiet and impressing with his silky smooth passing range. AFP/Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Nicolas Tagliafico − 6 Booked for rashly diving in on Christian Eriksen when the rest of Ajax’s defence were well positioned. Solid apart from that. Getty Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Lasse Schone − 7 A wonderfully workmanlike performance in the middle of the two child geniuses either side of him. Three tackles. One clearance. One interception. He is the oil which keeps this impossibly slick Ajax team running so very smoothly. REUTERS Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Frenkie De Jong − 8 Hard to believe he is just 21-years-old, when he plays with all the languid composure of Xavi winding down his career at Al Saad in the Qatar Stars League. Everything comes so naturally to him. Had a field day against the statuesque Victor Wanyama: no player completed more passes. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Hakim Ziyech − 8 To describe his defence-bisecting through ball as merely an ‘assist’ does it a disservice. In reality it was as effective and aesthetically pleasing as a goal, putting it on a plate for Donny van de Beek to open the scoring. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Donny van de Beek − 8 Took his goal wonderfully well, holding the line and then waiting nervelessly for Hugo Lloris to make his move. Almost doubled Ajax’s advantage just a few moments later. Action Images via Reuters Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax David Neres − 6 Gave Kieran Trippier a thoroughly uncomfortable evening, pinning the Englishman back for long periods and thoroughly ruining Mauricio Pochettino’s three at the back gameplan. Getty Images Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Dusan Tadic − 7 What on earth have Ajax done with the inconsistent maverick that so frustrated Southampton supporters for four seasons? Played his part in the opening goal and was an entertainingly buzzy presence throughout. UEFA via Getty Images

But less than one year on, who could possibly argue with Tadic’s decision? He is playing as a false nine for the most exciting team on the planet, one of their key players on a run to the semi-finals of the Champions League. More likely than not he will be in the final in Madrid on 1 June, when Southampton will be on their summer holidays after another season of just staying in the Premier League.

But it is not even the Champions League run that vindicates Tadic’s move. It is the fact that he gets to play exciting dominating football every single week, for a team that always has the ball and always plays to entertain. And the reality of the Premier League is that those conditions only really belong to the big six, and not even all of them. Not everyone gets to be Bernardo Silva.

Hearing Tadic discuss his move at White Hart Lane on Tuesday night was to hear a man who could not be happier with how his move has turned out. Because he has gone from playing underdog football to dominant football. And realised that how the game is played is what gives him the most pleasure.

“If you don’t play for one of the top six teams, you cannot dominate games,” Tadic said. “You spend a lot of time without the ball.”

The physicality of the league only makes it harder for the creative players of lesser sides, because they are kicked off the ball whenever they do get it. And then they are back to chasing. “In the Premier League, it’s hard because you don’t get much protection, it seems to be 80 per cent for the defender and 20 per cent for the attacker,” Tadic said. “It is much different if you play in Europe, you are protected more and I’ve loved playing for Ajax. We look to dominate against every team we play.”

So at Ajax Tadic gets to play the football he always dreamed of: ball possession, attacking intent, fast movement and interchange. He plays up front, but as what he calls a “fake striker”, pulling off, dropping deep, making space for runners beyond him. “I’m enjoying it,” he said. “I have a lot of freedom in that position, I can move where I want. I like to have freedom and like to work hard for the team.”

Tadic has starred for Ajax (UEFA via Getty Images)

And if it sounds complex, it isn’t. Speaking after Ajax’s famous 2-1 win in Turin last month, Tadic said how quickly he picked it up. Because it is all about a shared instinctive intelligence.

“It is very easy [to learn] because we have similar way of thinking,” Tadic said. “I understand with all of the players, and then it is easy. Our team has all players who play nice football. They understand football.”

Now, surrounded by players who understand him and see the game the same way, Tadic is on the brink of history.

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And other players like him, slogging it out in the bottom half of the Premier League, starved of the ball, kicked when they do have it, resigned to their team’s place among the have-nots, knowing they will never get to dominate games as they did before they moved here: those players might see the attraction of Tadic’s move too.