Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with a wealth of attacking talent in recent years, but not many can achieve the feat set by Son Heung-min.
The South Korean player was an unknown to many supporters when he joined North London from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, but after 10 years at the club, it is no exaggeration to say that he is now a legend at the club.
He made an incredible 454 appearances across all competitions for the Lilywhites, going on to find the back of the net 173 times, the fourth-highest total in the club’s history.
Son also managed to rack up 101 assists during his time at the club, often surprising other Premier League teams with his exploits in the final third.
However, manager Thomas Frank has not had a chance to work with him since his move to LAFC in the summer and has since given the Dane the responsibility of finding a replacement.
Spurs failed in January move to sign Antoine Semenyo
During the recent January transfer window, Spurs undoubtedly wanted to improve their depth and quality in their forward areas, with a number of first-team members currently spending extended periods on the sidelines.
Ghanaian international Antoine Semenyo has started the 2025/26 season in excellent form and has emerged as a key target even before the season began.
The 26-year-old has scored 10 goals in 20 league appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring his final goal for the club with a late strike against the Lilywhites.
Spurs were no doubt keen to sign him before the goal against Spurs, but their efforts to sign him were in vain and he joined Manchester City for a reported £65m.
Frank also spoke out about his failure to sign Semenho in recent weeks, insisting that “football is different from being a football manager” as Josep Guardiola’s men rush into the race to secure Semenho’s services.
To add salt to the wounds of the Lilywhites faithful, the City newbie managed to find the back of the goal during Sunday’s match, before inflicting further pain on Frank’s side.
Spurs star who could be our Semenyo
After missing out on Semenyo’s signature, the attacker managed to take his career to the next level at the Etihad, going on to score four goals and one assist in his first five games under Guardiola.
His recent form in the Premier League highlights why Frank and Spurs wanted to sign him in a deal, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.
As a result, since Son’s departure, no player has been able to make the left-sided position their own, and there is no doubt that the leaders will plan to improve the left-sided position in the summer.
Randall Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons and Richarlison have also played such roles, but such roles have been unnatural for the trio and have struggled to produce the desired results.
There is no doubt that these struggles will force the club to enter the market, but there is a possibility that they already have an immediate talent in Yang Min-hyuk.
The 19-year-old joined the Lilywhites from Gangwon FC in January 2025, but he definitely joined the club with an eye on the future rather than the present.
Such a deal is undoubtedly an exciting one, with the youngster having scored 12 goals in 38 appearances for his native club before moving to England this time last year.
Since then, he has had three loan spells in England’s second tier to get used to the demands of football in this country, with QPR and Portsmouth betting on the youngster.
However, he was recalled to serve at the latter of the two clubs, before joining promotion-chasing Coventry City on loan until the end of the season.
His move comes after he scored three goals in 17 appearances for Fratton Park, including the winning goal in the 98th minute against Charlton at the end of December.
Yang Min Hyuk – Championship Statistics (2025/26) | |
|---|---|
Statistics (per 90 people) | tally |
games played | 17 |
goals and assists | 3 |
Pass accuracy | 72% |
Touch the offensive box | 3.7 |
foul win | 1.5 |
recovery has taken place | 5.1 |
shot on target | 0.7 |
An opportunity has arisen | 1.4 |
Statistics by FotMob | |
He has featured in three games for Frank Lampard’s side so far and has had to come off the substitute bench for minutes to show his talent.
However, despite not being able to play soccer recently, it is clear that he is a player with a big ceiling, with Korean soccer expert Jason Lee suggesting that he is “expected to become Korea’s next superstar like Son Heung-min.”
There’s no doubt that the youngster has a long way to go before he reaches such heights, but it’s clear that many are rooting for the North London teenager to become a hit.
If he reaches the dizzying heights that many expect him to reach, Yan has the eye for goal that he shares with the Ghanaian and could very well be the club’s answer to Semenyo.
It will no doubt be a blow to miss out on City’s star player now, but if the South Korean can emulate his compatriot at the Lilywhites in the near future, it could prove to be a blessing in disguise.
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