Tottenham Hotspur will go into the new season without Son Heung-min
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The already challenging task for new Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank was made even more difficult after club captain Son Heung-min announced on Saturday that he will depart the club this summer.
It was fitting that Son made the announcement in his native South Korea ahead of Spurs’ friendly there with Newcastle United, where Son made his final appearance for the club and broke down in tears after he exited the field for the last time after a decade with the north Londoners.
The influence Son has had at Spurs both on and off the pitch in recent years has arguably been matched only by Harry Kane and so Spurs will have a difficult job on their hands to replace him. Son may not have been at his flying best last season - very few of the Spurs side were - and the club captain made the decision that now was the right time to wave a heartfelt goodbye to the club which has become his second home.
Spurs targeting Rodrygo as huge Son replacement
Reports by AS in Spain state that Son’s exit may have ‘opened the door’ for Spurs to pursue Real Madrid and Brazil winger Rodrygo, with whom the club have seen early links in recent days. Rodrygo has been targeted by Liverpool and Arsenal this summer, but Spurs are reportedly believed to be in the race for a huge £78million move and may look to secure the 24-year-old’s signature ahead of their rivals.
The report argues that Son’s departure will leave a gap within Spurs’ wage structure for a big-money star to replace the South Korean’s well-earnt substantial wages, having been the highest-paid player at the club. On the pitch, Rodrygo can fill Son’s spot on the left wing, the Brazilian’s preferred position which he rarely gets the opportunity to play for Los Blancos due to the talents of Vinicius Jr.
The report claims that Rodrygo is ‘waiting for Liverpool’, who are currently tied up in negotiations for Alexander Isak. But Spurs could see this as their perfect opportunity to get ahead in negotiations and show Rodrygo the project under Frank, with Champions League football to offer, hoping this could be enough to convince the former Santos player of the move.
How does Rodrygo compare to Son?
Should he arrive at Spurs, Rodrygo would have the unenviable task of replacing a club legend and the influence he had on the pitch for a decade. The 33-cap Brazil international is known by many to be one of the world’s best wingers - Jude Bellingham once claimed Rodrygo is the most talented player in the Madrid squad - but to replace Son is no easy feat.
Rodrygo has only hit double figures in La Liga goals once in his career so far, in 2023/24, bagging six goals and six assists in reduced minutes last campaign. He has made 270 appearances for Los Blancos in all, registering 68 goals and 51 assists in six years with the club.
While Son’s goalscoring numbers in his prime years far eclipse this, the South Korean’s record was similar to that of Rodrygo at the same age and there is no doubt room for Rodrygo to grow into a more prolific goalscorer in the Premier League. Replacing Son is a difficult task, but there may be few players around who are more capable of doing it than Rodrygo.