Jermaine Jenas Exclusive: Mousa Dembele is the best midfielder in the Premier League

This may not be Tottenham's year as far as the Premier League title is concerned, but in Mousa Dembele Spurs have the player who has proved himself to be the best midfielder in the land this season.

Mousa joined the club when I was at Tottenham in 2012. I'd played against him at Fulham, where he was a right winger and a bit of a luxury player, but you could see straight away in training that he had something special.

In his first game against Norwich at White Hart Lane he lit up the place - he came off the bench, did a Cruyff turn and smashed one into the bottom corner. We all thought, 'Wow, we've got a player here'.

[DEMBELE HITS OUT AT 'SURPRISING' HAZARD COMMENTS]

But after that he seemed to go into his shell. He found it difficult to flourish in the new environment at Spurs, and different managers tried and failed to get the best out of him. But this season he has reached another level.

He has the power and strength that enables him to dominate other midfielders, almost in the way Patrick Vieira used to, but technically speaking Mousa is actually miles better.

His left foot is scary and he is silky as well as strong. I've seen him physically bully players like Victor Wanyama, who is an ox, but he is also capable of gliding past people like Ryan Giggs. There's no-one else in the league who can do what he does.

His midfield partners Eric Dier and Dele Alli have got a lot of praise this season, and rightly so, because they have propelled themselves into the England set-up from nowhere. But Mousa's rise has been more gradual. We've known for a long time that he is capable of being a top player, but the questions marks were over whether he could do it often enough. This year, he has done it.

He has picked up a couple of injuries, but in general he has been an absolute animal. When I watch Spurs, he's the player I'm most excited about watching.

I think if you spoke to the likes of Alli and Harry Kane about this season, the one person they will say has really stepped up in the big games when it has mattered is Dembele.

Mousa doesn't score many goals, which is understandable in the formation Spurs use him, but he is one of those players who would rather pick out a pass.

I was like that. Some players get around the box and they feel they have to shoot, but I would always look for a pass. Having a shot was the last resort. I'd always look for a better option first, and Mousa is the same. It's hard to change that mentality.

When you first meet Mousa, he comes across as shy. He's very quiet and he keeps himself to himself. But on the pitch, he really imposes himself and he makes his opponents know they are in a very tough game.

It might sound crazy, but one of his biggest attributes is his arms. It's as if they're made of lead. When anyone gets close to him, if he puts his arm on them they can't handle it. He just leans on them. It's the strongest arm I've ever seen!

In some ways it's a mystery how he can be so good now when in the past he been underwhelming, but I think a lot of it is to do with fitness.

In the past he has relied heavily upon his skill, but sometimes it takes a little while for the penny to drop. It's one thing being skilful, but for a manager to place ultimate trust in a central midfielder, they need you to be consistent, to be box-to-box and to last at least 90 minutes every week.

Before, Mousa wasn't that guy. He was the kind of player you'd ask to do his thing for 60 minutes and then take him off.

But this season he looks slimmer and quicker, and that's down to Mauricio Pochettino. He's made the difference and taken Mousa to another level - as he has done with the entire Spurs squad, in fact.

Although Mousa isn't the captain, he is one of the more experienced players in the side and he acts like a captain. He's taken on more responsibility this year and he has thrived.

Maybe he was too shy in the past, but now he is dictating Tottenham's play. Players can trust him to receive the ball anywhere on the park because he's strong enough to deal with it. Everything goes through him.

Sometimes you need a bit of arrogance as a footballer and Mousa has started to show it. He is demanding to be the leader of the team and - while he might get as many headlines as his team-mates - he has become the main man in a outstanding Tottenham side.