It was a fitting farewell, ten years in the making, as Tottenham Hotspur hero Heung-min Son held the Europa League trophy aloft last year after his final appearance for the club.
Signed back in 2015, the South Korean had been part of Mauricio Pochettino’s beloved side that were ultimately left empty-handed, notably seen off by Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final.
So many of his former teammates, not least his partner-in-crime, Harry Kane, never got that crowning moment, a fact that only further enhances Son’s legendary status.
The now-veteran star bowed in style, leaving behind a void that has yet to be filled at N17.
Why Spurs are still seeking to fill Son’s void
There was no denying that Son’s powers were on the wane in his final season in north London, yet even then, he was among the more effective figures in the forward line, notably registering 16 goals and assists in the Premier League.
Most PL Goals & Assists – 24/25 | |
|---|---|
Player | Goals & Assists |
Maddison | 16 |
Son | 16 |
Johnson | 14 |
Solanke | 12 |
Kulusevski | 11 |
Porro | 8 |
Richarlison | 5 |
Sarr | 5 |
Tel | 3 |
Spence | 3 |
Werner | 3 |
He led the way in that regard among his teammates, alongside James Maddison, while that tally wasn’t bettered last term either, with Richarlison topping the pile with 15 goal involvements.
Having first lost Kane, and then Son two years later, there has been a stark decline in Tottenham’s attacking ranks, with no player or new signing getting close to the pair’s remarkable level of consistency.
In Son’s left-wing berth, in particular, the Lilywhites have had a particular issue, with Mathys Tel struggling to fire for too long now in that role.
The young Frenchman has been the standout pick of late off the left, although he was notably omitted from the matchday squad against Aston Villa, with Football FanCast exclusively reporting that Roberto De Zerbi is keen to move him on in January.
In terms of potential alternatives, both Mohammed Kudus and Savio look to be at their best when cutting in off the right, while Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons remain sidelined with ACL injuries, the latter having scored only two league goals last season.
No one has really stepped up and made that left-wing berth their own, with even the ‘next Son’ yet to flourish at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Why Spurs haven’t seen their next Son play yet
De Zerbi may have shifted things this summer, going down the more experienced route, although recent years have seen Spurs invest heavily in young, up-and-coming stars.
The issue has been getting such players into the first team, however, the club notably selling on the likes of Luka Vuskovic and Ashley Phillips this summer, two players who signed as teenagers yet never actually made a competitive appearance in a Tottenham shirt.
There are others on the books who perhaps look set for a similar fate, be it Japanese centre-back, Kota Takai, or Korean winger, Yang Min-hyeok.
Like Phillips and Vuskovic, Yang is yet to actually play a single competitive game for Spurs, despite the club having struck a deal to sign him way back in the summer of 2024.
He eventually made his way to north London in January 2025, although is now on his fourth loan spell in succession, after joining Belgian side Westerlo this summer.
At the time of his initial move to Tottenham, the feeling was that the north Londoners had a potential superstar on their hands, journalist and South Korean football expert, Jason Lee, revealing that he was “expected to be Korea’s next superstar like Heung-min Son.”
He first joined Queens Park Rangers, scoring two goals in 14 games, prior to joining Portsmouth for the first half of last season, netting three goals in 16 games for the Championship side.
Subsequently recalled by Spurs in January, Yang was then shipped out on loan again to high-flying Coventry City, a move that certainly backfired as he featured just four times in total, racking up just 29 minutes of action in the second tier.
He has been capped twice by South Korea at senior level, while also recently featuring for the U23 side at the Asian Games, yet he hasn’t kicked on as expected since leaving Gangwon behind.
Indeed, it all looked so promising for the then-teenager back in his homeland, as he scored and assisted 18 goals in just 38 games in all competitions, sparking those notable comparisons to the legendary Son.
He does have time on his side to get back firing again, considering he is still only 20, but a more fruitful loan spell in Belgium will be needed to get his career on track again.
As it stands, he currently looks on course to follow in the footsteps of Vuskovic and Phillips as another teenage signing who is sold by Spurs without kicking a ball in anger.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
