Football.London

Tottenham are set to seal a deal to bring in Yang Min-hyuk from Gangwon and football.london got South Korean football expert Sungmo Lee to give us the lowdown on the teenager.

Spurs are set to seal a deal which will see the 18-year-old winger arrive in January, a couple of months after the K League season has come to a close. He only turned 18 in April but two months earlier had made his K League debut for Gangwon, grabbing an assist against Jeju United before scoring in his next game against Gwangju, making him the youngest K League scorer since 2013.

Despite his age, Yang has started every match this season in the league for Gangwon, scoring seven goals and laying on three assists in his 24 appearances.

We asked South Korean football expert Sungmo Lee to tell us exactly what kind of player Spurs will get in the teenager.

"Yang Min-hyuk is the best young player in the K League right now, and most significantly, he's still a high school student," he told football.london. "His talent was so exceptional so his club Gangwon proposed the professional contract to a high school student which was the first ever case in K League's history.

"He showed great performances in K League this season, winning the 'young player of the month' award three times in a row from April to June. He is a great dribbler but also possesses great finishing skills which makes Korean fans hope that he can become the next Son Heung-min, especially if he joins the same club with Son in Tottenham."

The Korean teenager, who is in the Team K League squad to face Spurs in Seoul next week during their pre-season tour, has a favourite player who currently plies their trade in the Premier League.

"His favourite football player is Phil Foden at Manchester City," said Lee. "He is using same back number with Foden as well - 47 - although that's not to say he's using it because of him. There are other reasons. He did however once say 'I want to be a player like Foden who has great skills but is also great at helping his teammates'."

Tottenham will be hoping they have a gem on their hands in the tricky young winger and if he can go anywhere near to succeeding their 32-year-old captain Son eventually then he'll have been worth every penny.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham are due to play a behind-closed-doors training ground match in Tokyo on Thursday to hand extra minutes to players, football.london understands.

Ange Postecoglou's side are currently in Japan on the first leg of their pre-season tour to Asia, which will also take in South Korea next week. Spurs are currently scheduled to play against Vissel Kobe at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday evening (11am UK time) before moving on to Seoul where they will face a Team K League side at the Seoul World Cup Stadium as well as Bayern Munich in the same arena three days later, with both matches kicking off at midday UK time.

However, in order to get more of the big travelling Spurs squad minutes to ensure they are fit and sharp for the season ahead, football.london understands that Tottenham have also arranged a training ground friendly game later in the day on Thursday in Tokyo, which will be behind-closed-doors without fans, to give many of the younger players in the 31-man travelling squad a run out for an extended period of time.

While that is likely to mean most of the academy players brought on the tour will get good game time in the Tokyo heat, it could also mean some of the younger first team players on the edges of the starting XI like Djed Spence and Oliver Skipp take the turf to ensure they are ready to be called upon.

Having such a game in the 30 degrees Celsius-plus temperatures only two days before Saturday's match against Vissel Kobe suggests that Postecoglou could start upping the game time of many of his first team stars for that friendly to an hour rather than sharing out the game with two starting XIs in either half, as has been the case in the recent friendly wins at QPR and Hearts, as well as the training ground friendly against Cambridge United a fortnight ago.

Giving extra minutes to players not starting on Saturday at the National Stadium will ensure that should any of them need to be called upon for the rest of the tour, they will not be behind their team-mates in terms of fitness or sharpness.

The proximity of the two matches in South Korea to each other could mean slightly different line-ups depending on the levels of those who started against Vissel Kobe and then Team K League.

The latter opposition could feature Yang Min-hyuk, an 18-year-old South Korean winger, who Tottenham are set to sign from Gangwon in a deal which will see the talented teenager arrive in January, a couple of months after the K League season comes to a close.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham are due to play a behind-closed-doors training ground match in Tokyo on Thursday to hand extra minutes to players, football.london understands.

Ange Postecoglou's side are currently in Japan on the first leg of their pre-season tour to Asia, which will also take in South Korea next week. Spurs are currently scheduled to play against Vissel Kobe at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday evening (11am UK time) before moving on to Seoul where they will face a Team K League side at the Seoul World Cup Stadium as well as Bayern Munich in the same arena three days later, with both matches kicking off at midday UK time.

However, in order to get more of the big travelling Spurs squad minutes to ensure they are fit and sharp for the season ahead, football.london understands that Tottenham have also arranged a training ground friendly game later in the day on Thursday in Tokyo, which will be behind-closed-doors without fans, to give many of the younger players in the 31-man travelling squad a run out for an extended period of time.

While that is likely to mean most of the academy players brought on the tour will get good game time in the Tokyo heat, it could also mean some of the younger first team players on the edges of the starting XI like Djed Spence and Oliver Skipp take the turf to ensure they are ready to be called upon.

Having such a game in the 30 degrees Celsius-plus temperatures only two days before Saturday's match against Vissel Kobe suggests that Postecoglou could start upping the game time of many of his first team stars for that friendly to an hour rather than sharing out the game with two starting XIs in either half, as has been the case in the recent friendly wins at QPR and Hearts, as well as the training ground friendly against Cambridge United a fortnight ago.

Giving extra minutes to players not starting on Saturday at the National Stadium will ensure that should any of them need to be called upon for the rest of the tour, they will not be behind their team-mates in terms of fitness or sharpness.

The proximity of the two matches in South Korea to each other could mean slightly different line-ups depending on the levels of those who started against Vissel Kobe and then Team K League.

The latter opposition could feature Yang Min-hyuk, an 18-year-old South Korean winger, who Tottenham are set to sign from Gangwon in a deal which will see the talented teenager arrive in January, a couple of months after the K League season comes to a close.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham are due to play a behind-closed-doors training ground match in Tokyo on Thursday to hand extra minutes to players, football.london understands.

Ange Postecoglou's side are currently in Japan on the first leg of their pre-season tour to Asia, which will also take in South Korea next week. Spurs are currently scheduled to play against Vissel Kobe at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday evening (11am UK time) before moving on to Seoul where they will face a Team K League side at the Seoul World Cup Stadium as well as Bayern Munich in the same arena three days later, with both matches kicking off at midday UK time.

However, in order to get more of the big travelling Spurs squad minutes to ensure they are fit and sharp for the season ahead, football.london understands that Tottenham have also arranged a training ground friendly game later in the day on Thursday in Tokyo, which will be behind-closed-doors without fans, to give many of the younger players in the 31-man travelling squad a run out for an extended period of time.

While that is likely to mean most of the academy players brought on the tour will get good game time in the Tokyo heat, it could also mean some of the younger first team players on the edges of the starting XI like Djed Spence and Oliver Skipp take the turf to ensure they are ready to be called upon.

Having such a game in the 30 degrees Celsius-plus temperatures only two days before Saturday's match against Vissel Kobe suggests that Postecoglou could start upping the game time of many of his first team stars for that friendly to an hour rather than sharing out the game with two starting XIs in either half, as has been the case in the recent friendly wins at QPR and Hearts, as well as the training ground friendly against Cambridge United a fortnight ago.

Giving extra minutes to players not starting on Saturday at the National Stadium will ensure that should any of them need to be called upon for the rest of the tour, they will not be behind their team-mates in terms of fitness or sharpness.

The proximity of the two matches in South Korea to each other could mean slightly different line-ups depending on the levels of those who started against Vissel Kobe and then Team K League.

The latter opposition could feature Yang Min-hyuk, an 18-year-old South Korean winger, who Tottenham are set to sign from Gangwon in a deal which will see the talented teenager arrive in January, a couple of months after the K League season comes to a close.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

There's no doubting that Ange Postecoglou still requires transfer help for the now at Tottenham Hotspur but he will also point to what is being built for the future at the club.

Spurs are closing in on the signing of South Korean teenage winger Yang Min-hyuk from Gangwon in a deal that will see the player arrive in January a couple of months after the K League season has come to a close. It is similar in that respect to the deal that brought Lucas Bergvall to Tottenham five months after his transfer was agreed from Djurgarden in order to give him that little bit more time to develop and prepare for the move to the Premier League.

Yang will become the third South Korean signing in Tottenham's history following in the footsteps of Lee Young-Pyo and current captain Son Heung-min.

The teenager's expected signing continues a very deliberate push this summer to secure the best young talent around from various countries, using the club's new data-led recruitment strategy under Johan Lange and it's no coincidence that all of the club's permanent deals since February have been for 18-year-olds.

Bergvall arrived this month after his deal was struck under the noses of Barcelona earlier this year and then Spurs leapt in to sign Archie Gray in a £40million package with Joe Rodon heading the other way as Brentford's attempts to sign the teenager from Leeds collapsed.

Both Gray and Bergvall have impressed not only the coaching staff but also their new Tottenham team-mates since arriving in recent weeks, both in their maturity and work-rate but also with their remarkable ability.

Yang will join them in January as one of the brightest young raw talents in Korea right now. He only turned 18 in April but two months earlier had made his K League debut for Gangwon, grabbing an assist against Jeju United. In his next game he scored against Gwangju, making him the youngest K League scorer since 2013.

Despite his age, he has started every match this season in the league for Gangwon, scoring seven goals and laying on three assists in his 24 appearances. Like the player who will no doubt rank among his idols, Son, Yang can play on either wing. In the first half of his maiden campaign as a senior player he played mostly on the left but since May onwards has switched predominantly to the right.

In most matches since that point Yang has played the full 90 minutes, showing his fitness levels and consistency at such a young age. Six of his goal involvements have come from the right and four from the left.

It is a move for Tottenham that will be backed by the data and Postecoglou himself is no stranger to looking for talent from the Asian market, something he has championed at every club he has been at. Son will likely have also given his backing to the move for his young fellow countryman, even if Yang is yet to make his debut in the South Korea senior international set-up.

That will change in the year ahead for the U17 international with his Premier League move in the offing. The teenager is also in the squad currently for the Team K League side that will face Spurs in Seoul next week during the second leg of their Asia tour.

From a marketing and global fanbase perspective, Tottenham will also have a potential successor to Son lined up. The South Korean market has been hugely profitable for the north London club in expanding their fanbase across the world, with club data during their last tour to the country in 2022 claiming that 12 million people of the country's 51 million population identify themselves as Spurs fans.

Son has been a phenomenal player for Tottenham since arriving in 2015, with 162 goals and 84 assists in 408 matches, but having turned 32 earlier this month there is only a finite number of years he can keep playing for. Spurs will hope that in Yang, not far off half of Son's age, they have someone as gifted to carry on his legacy when their skipper one day hangs up his boots.

The signing of Yang also makes sense when you go back to something Postecoglou told football.london when speaking about the state of Tottenham's youth set-up last season.

"I think we've got a lot of work to do in our academy and [Spurs' academy director] Simon Davies is certainly one that is putting a lot of emphasis and priority there. I don't think we have the production line other top clubs have, certainly not. Even currently that’s why we’re investing in some younger players, even for the first team. For us as a football club that's definitely the way forward," he said.

"My brief at the moment is still very much around the first team and building a first team and you can do that while giving opportunities to young players. If anything I think for sustainable success it's the best way to go because the team grows together when it's guys of similar ages as long as you've got good experience around them.

"That's what we're doing at first team level. We've still got a lot of work to do at academy level. We've got a great man there in Simon who has worked at some of best academies going and he knows what’s needed. We've got some good coaches in there now. This year has been better but in terms of a production line of young players I think we’re still well behind other clubs."

He added: "There was already a process in place before I came in and some of it is around the methodology we use, but also a little bit of opportunity. I guess if young players don't feel there is an opportunity here maybe we don't get the best ones or maybe we don't provide the opportunities for the best ones, so my role in that is to make sure the good ones we have do get an opportunity.

"Secondly, other young good young players around the country, not just around the world, see this as a club where if you are talented, you will get an opportunity."

That has certainly been the case, because Yang, Gray and Bergvall are just the latest in the long line of young recruits brought into Tottenham in recent seasons. Postecoglou used Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr to great effect last season, with both previously signed when they were 19 and 18 respectively and loaned back to Udinese and Metz respectively.

Both were so good last season under Postecoglou that they were handed bumper new long-term contracts. Tottenham also signed two young new centre-backs for the Australian last season in then 22-year-old Micky van de Ven and 21-year-old Radu Dragusin, along with another for the future in 18-year-old Ashley Phillips, while another even younger centre-back in the then 16-year-old Luka Vuskovic was secured from Hajduk Split and will arrive in 2025 when he turns 18 after a couple of loan spells.

In the attacking areas, 22-year-old Brennan Johnson was brought in for £50million from Nottingham Forest, while then teenager Alejo Veliz was signed from Rosario Central. Even Dejan Kulusevski was just 23 for most of Postecoglou's first season. The Swede, signed as a 21-year-old from Juventus has since contributed 34 goal involvements in 96 matches for Tottenham.

Then there is the academy which is producing some talents despite Postecoglou's reservations. Oliver Skipp has made more than 100 appearances for Tottenham now and coming through there is 16-year-old Mikey Moore, who has already appeared twice in the Premier League under Postecoglou and has been sparkling in pre-season so far. There is also 19-year-old Jamie Donley, who was handed four senior appearances last season by the Australian.

Teenagers Tyrese Hall, Will Lankshear and the currently injured Alfie Dorrington have also caught Postecoglou's eye at different stages, while George Abbott is expected to make his mark this season and Alfie Devine has been impressing again after loan spells at Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle. Dane Scarlett continues to develop after plenty of praise as a teenager from various Spurs managers while Tottenham signed another young striker in 16-year-old George Feeney this summer from Glentoran.

Highly-rated centre-back Jun'ai Byfield, who only turned 16 in March but has been impressing many within the academy and playing up the age levels, also got a chance to play in front of the first team coaching staff in a recent behind-closed-doors friendly against Cambridge United.

Spurs certainly need to help Postecoglou with signings that can help him now, but as he predicted they are also building a thrilling side for years to come and long beyond his tenure.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

There's no doubting that Ange Postecoglou still requires transfer help for the now at Tottenham Hotspur but he will also point to what is being built for the future at the club.

Spurs are closing in on the signing of South Korean teenage winger Yang Min-hyuk from Gangwon in a deal that will see the player arrive in January a couple of months after the K League season has come to a close. It is similar in that respect to the deal that brought Lucas Bergvall to Tottenham five months after his transfer was agreed from Djurgarden in order to give him that little bit more time to develop and prepare for the move to the Premier League.

Yang will become the third South Korean signing in Tottenham's history following in the footsteps of Lee Young-Pyo and current captain Son Heung-min.

The teenager's expected signing continues a very deliberate push this summer to secure the best young talent around from various countries, using the club's new data-led recruitment strategy under Johan Lange and it's no coincidence that all of the club's permanent deals since February have been for 18-year-olds.

Bergvall arrived this month after his deal was struck under the noses of Barcelona earlier this year and then Spurs leapt in to sign Archie Gray in a £40million package with Joe Rodon heading the other way as Brentford's attempts to sign the teenager from Leeds collapsed.

Both Gray and Bergvall have impressed not only the coaching staff but also their new Tottenham team-mates since arriving in recent weeks, both in their maturity and work-rate but also with their remarkable ability.

Yang will join them in January as one of the brightest young raw talents in Korea right now. He only turned 18 in April but two months earlier had made his K League debut for Gangwon, grabbing an assist against Jeju United. In his next game he scored against Gwangju, making him the youngest K League scorer since 2013.

Despite his age, he has started every match this season in the league for Gangwon, scoring seven goals and laying on three assists in his 24 appearances. Like the player who will no doubt rank among his idols, Son, Yang can play on either wing. In the first half of his maiden campaign as a senior player he played mostly on the left but since May onwards has switched predominantly to the right.

In most matches since that point Yang has played the full 90 minutes, showing his fitness levels and consistency at such a young age. Six of his goal involvements have come from the right and four from the left.

It is a move for Tottenham that will be backed by the data and Postecoglou himself is no stranger to looking for talent from the Asian market, something he has championed at every club he has been at. Son will likely have also given his backing to the move for his young fellow countryman, even if Yang is yet to make his debut in the South Korea senior international set-up.

That will change in the year ahead for the U17 international with his Premier League move in the offing. The teenager is also in the squad currently for the Team K League side that will face Spurs in Seoul next week during the second leg of their Asia tour.

From a marketing and global fanbase perspective, Tottenham will also have a potential successor to Son lined up. The South Korean market has been hugely profitable for the north London club in expanding their fanbase across the world, with club data during their last tour to the country in 2022 claiming that 12 million people of the country's 51 million population identify themselves as Spurs fans.

Son has been a phenomenal player for Tottenham since arriving in 2015, with 162 goals and 84 assists in 408 matches, but having turned 32 earlier this month there is only a finite number of years he can keep playing for. Spurs will hope that in Yang, not far off half of Son's age, they have someone as gifted to carry on his legacy when their skipper one day hangs up his boots.

The signing of Yang also makes sense when you go back to something Postecoglou told football.london when speaking about the state of Tottenham's youth set-up last season.

"I think we've got a lot of work to do in our academy and [Spurs' academy director] Simon Davies is certainly one that is putting a lot of emphasis and priority there. I don't think we have the production line other top clubs have, certainly not. Even currently that’s why we’re investing in some younger players, even for the first team. For us as a football club that's definitely the way forward," he said.

"My brief at the moment is still very much around the first team and building a first team and you can do that while giving opportunities to young players. If anything I think for sustainable success it's the best way to go because the team grows together when it's guys of similar ages as long as you've got good experience around them.

"That's what we're doing at first team level. We've still got a lot of work to do at academy level. We've got a great man there in Simon who has worked at some of best academies going and he knows what’s needed. We've got some good coaches in there now. This year has been better but in terms of a production line of young players I think we’re still well behind other clubs."

He added: "There was already a process in place before I came in and some of it is around the methodology we use, but also a little bit of opportunity. I guess if young players don't feel there is an opportunity here maybe we don't get the best ones or maybe we don't provide the opportunities for the best ones, so my role in that is to make sure the good ones we have do get an opportunity.

"Secondly, other young good young players around the country, not just around the world, see this as a club where if you are talented, you will get an opportunity."

That has certainly been the case, because Yang, Gray and Bergvall are just the latest in the long line of young recruits brought into Tottenham in recent seasons. Postecoglou used Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr to great effect last season, with both previously signed when they were 19 and 18 respectively and loaned back to Udinese and Metz respectively.

Both were so good last season under Postecoglou that they were handed bumper new long-term contracts. Tottenham also signed two young new centre-backs for the Australian last season in then 22-year-old Micky van de Ven and 21-year-old Radu Dragusin, along with another for the future in 18-year-old Ashley Phillips, while another even younger centre-back in the then 16-year-old Luka Vuskovic was secured from Hajduk Split and will arrive in 2025 when he turns 18 after a couple of loan spells.

In the attacking areas, 22-year-old Brennan Johnson was brought in for £50million from Nottingham Forest, while then teenager Alejo Veliz was signed from Rosario Central. Even Dejan Kulusevski was just 23 for most of Postecoglou's first season. The Swede, signed as a 21-year-old from Juventus has since contributed 34 goal involvements in 96 matches for Tottenham.

Then there is the academy which is producing some talents despite Postecoglou's reservations. Oliver Skipp has made more than 100 appearances for Tottenham now and coming through there is 16-year-old Mikey Moore, who has already appeared twice in the Premier League under Postecoglou and has been sparkling in pre-season so far. There is also 19-year-old Jamie Donley, who was handed four senior appearances last season by the Australian.

Teenagers Tyrese Hall, Will Lankshear and the currently injured Alfie Dorrington have also caught Postecoglou's eye at different stages, while George Abbott is expected to make his mark this season and Alfie Devine has been impressing again after loan spells at Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle. Dane Scarlett continues to develop after plenty of praise as a teenager from various Spurs managers while Tottenham signed another young striker in 16-year-old George Feeney this summer from Glentoran.

Highly-rated centre-back Jun'ai Byfield, who only turned 16 in March but has been impressing many within the academy and playing up the age levels, also got a chance to play in front of the first team coaching staff in a recent behind-closed-doors friendly against Cambridge United.

Spurs certainly need to help Postecoglou with signings that can help him now, but as he predicted they are also building a thrilling side for years to come and long beyond his tenure.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

There's no doubting that Ange Postecoglou still requires transfer help for the now at Tottenham Hotspur but he will also point to what is being built for the future at the club.

Spurs are closing in on the signing of South Korean teenage winger Yang Min-hyuk from Gangwon in a deal that will see the player arrive in January a couple of months after the K League season has come to a close. It is similar in that respect to the deal that brought Lucas Bergvall to Tottenham five months after his transfer was agreed from Djurgarden in order to give him that little bit more time to develop and prepare for the move to the Premier League.

Yang will become the third South Korean signing in Tottenham's history following in the footsteps of Lee Young-Pyo and current captain Son Heung-min.

The teenager's expected signing continues a very deliberate push this summer to secure the best young talent around from various countries, using the club's new data-led recruitment strategy under Johan Lange and it's no coincidence that all of the club's permanent deals since February have been for 18-year-olds.

Bergvall arrived this month after his deal was struck under the noses of Barcelona earlier this year and then Spurs leapt in to sign Archie Gray in a £40million package with Joe Rodon heading the other way as Brentford's attempts to sign the teenager from Leeds collapsed.

Both Gray and Bergvall have impressed not only the coaching staff but also their new Tottenham team-mates since arriving in recent weeks, both in their maturity and work-rate but also with their remarkable ability.

Yang will join them in January as one of the brightest young raw talents in Korea right now. He only turned 18 in April but two months earlier had made his K League debut for Gangwon, grabbing an assist against Jeju United. In his next game he scored against Gwangju, making him the youngest K League scorer since 2013.

Despite his age, he has started every match this season in the league for Gangwon, scoring seven goals and laying on three assists in his 24 appearances. Like the player who will no doubt rank among his idols, Son, Yang can play on either wing. In the first half of his maiden campaign as a senior player he played mostly on the left but since May onwards has switched predominantly to the right.

In most matches since that point Yang has played the full 90 minutes, showing his fitness levels and consistency at such a young age. Six of his goal involvements have come from the right and four from the left.

It is a move for Tottenham that will be backed by the data and Postecoglou himself is no stranger to looking for talent from the Asian market, something he has championed at every club he has been at. Son will likely have also given his backing to the move for his young fellow countryman, even if Yang is yet to make his debut in the South Korea senior international set-up.

That will change in the year ahead for the U17 international with his Premier League move in the offing. The teenager is also in the squad currently for the Team K League side that will face Spurs in Seoul next week during the second leg of their Asia tour.

From a marketing and global fanbase perspective, Tottenham will also have a potential successor to Son lined up. The South Korean market has been hugely profitable for the north London club in expanding their fanbase across the world, with club data during their last tour to the country in 2022 claiming that 12 million people of the country's 51 million population identify themselves as Spurs fans.

Son has been a phenomenal player for Tottenham since arriving in 2015, with 162 goals and 84 assists in 408 matches, but having turned 32 earlier this month there is only a finite number of years he can keep playing for. Spurs will hope that in Yang, not far off half of Son's age, they have someone as gifted to carry on his legacy when their skipper one day hangs up his boots.

The signing of Yang also makes sense when you go back to something Postecoglou told football.london when speaking about the state of Tottenham's youth set-up last season.

"I think we've got a lot of work to do in our academy and [Spurs' academy director] Simon Davies is certainly one that is putting a lot of emphasis and priority there. I don't think we have the production line other top clubs have, certainly not. Even currently that’s why we’re investing in some younger players, even for the first team. For us as a football club that's definitely the way forward," he said.

"My brief at the moment is still very much around the first team and building a first team and you can do that while giving opportunities to young players. If anything I think for sustainable success it's the best way to go because the team grows together when it's guys of similar ages as long as you've got good experience around them.

"That's what we're doing at first team level. We've still got a lot of work to do at academy level. We've got a great man there in Simon who has worked at some of best academies going and he knows what’s needed. We've got some good coaches in there now. This year has been better but in terms of a production line of young players I think we’re still well behind other clubs."

He added: "There was already a process in place before I came in and some of it is around the methodology we use, but also a little bit of opportunity. I guess if young players don't feel there is an opportunity here maybe we don't get the best ones or maybe we don't provide the opportunities for the best ones, so my role in that is to make sure the good ones we have do get an opportunity.

"Secondly, other young good young players around the country, not just around the world, see this as a club where if you are talented, you will get an opportunity."

That has certainly been the case, because Yang, Gray and Bergvall are just the latest in the long line of young recruits brought into Tottenham in recent seasons. Postecoglou used Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr to great effect last season, with both previously signed when they were 19 and 18 respectively and loaned back to Udinese and Metz respectively.

Both were so good last season under Postecoglou that they were handed bumper new long-term contracts. Tottenham also signed two young new centre-backs for the Australian last season in then 22-year-old Micky van de Ven and 21-year-old Radu Dragusin, along with another for the future in 18-year-old Ashley Phillips, while another even younger centre-back in the then 16-year-old Luka Vuskovic was secured from Hajduk Split and will arrive in 2025 when he turns 18 after a couple of loan spells.

In the attacking areas, 22-year-old Brennan Johnson was brought in for £50million from Nottingham Forest, while then teenager Alejo Veliz was signed from Rosario Central. Even Dejan Kulusevski was just 23 for most of Postecoglou's first season. The Swede, signed as a 21-year-old from Juventus has since contributed 34 goal involvements in 96 matches for Tottenham.

Then there is the academy which is producing some talents despite Postecoglou's reservations. Oliver Skipp has made more than 100 appearances for Tottenham now and coming through there is 16-year-old Mikey Moore, who has already appeared twice in the Premier League under Postecoglou and has been sparkling in pre-season so far. There is also 19-year-old Jamie Donley, who was handed four senior appearances last season by the Australian.

Teenagers Tyrese Hall, Will Lankshear and the currently injured Alfie Dorrington have also caught Postecoglou's eye at different stages, while George Abbott is expected to make his mark this season and Alfie Devine has been impressing again after loan spells at Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle. Dane Scarlett continues to develop after plenty of praise as a teenager from various Spurs managers while Tottenham signed another young striker in 16-year-old George Feeney this summer from Glentoran.

Highly-rated centre-back Jun'ai Byfield, who only turned 16 in March but has been impressing many within the academy and playing up the age levels, also got a chance to play in front of the first team coaching staff in a recent behind-closed-doors friendly against Cambridge United.

Spurs certainly need to help Postecoglou with signings that can help him now, but as he predicted they are also building a thrilling side for years to come and long beyond his tenure.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder turned TV presenter Jermaine Jenas is being tipped as the top contender to replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day, should he decide to step down from his long-standing role.

Lineker has been at the helm of the BBC's much-watched Premier League highlights show every Saturday night for years now. However, insiders are predicting an imminent exit, either when his existing contract expires or even before then.

Over the last month, Lineker was the main anchor on the BBC coverage of Euro 2024, although some viewers argued that his colleagues Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman outperformed him when they were given the chance to lead matches.

Betting experts Fair Betting Sites have offered odds of 8/11 that Lineker will step down from his Match of the Day role, with former Newcastle player Jermaine Jenas as the favourite to take over. Jermaine, who has been one of the regular hosts of The One Show over the last few years, as well as being a football pundit, leads the pack on 6/4, with another existing BBC star, former England Lionesses hero Alex Scott, currently second in the odds.

Alex is on 7/2, just ahead of Mark Chapman, after his impressive stint at the Euros, with ITV's Laura Woods, rounding out the top five on 10/1, ahead of the likes of Gabby Logan and Jake Humphrey, reports Chronicle Live.

Fair Betting Sites spokesperson Andy Newton weighed in on the Gary Lineker and Match of the Day situation, stating: "His criticism of Gareth Southgate at the Euros is the latest action to have reportedly riled the BBC and you feel with strained tensions the corporation are closer than ever to replacing Lineker as MOTD host."

He added: "With 25 years at the MOTD helm Lineker's boots will be big ones to fill, but another former Spurs player Jermaine Jenas has impressed in his One Show presenting role for the BBC and it's no shock to see him shortest in the betting to land one of the best presenting football jobs in the land. ".

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has got his heart set on a move to Tottenham, despite ongoing interest from Arsenal and Chelsea this summer. That's according to reports from radio station talkSPORT.

The 28-year-old is making up for lost time after he missed eight months due to a betting-related ban. He returned to action just in time to showcase his ability on the big stage for England at Euro 2024.

Toney netted a typically cool penalty in their quarter-final shoot-out win and also appeared, briefly, during the 2-1 final defeat to Spain in which Chelsea forward Cole Palmer scored. However, while Arsenal and Chelsea are said to be in the market for him, Toney would reportedly prefer Tottenham.

Brentford want Toney to stay put this summer. However, in that event, the striker would - according to the article from talkSPORT - look to run down his contract which expires next summer.

"He's a Brentford player and I would love him to stay," said manager Thomas Frank.

"That would give me a very positive challenge. But I haven't met a coach who doesn't want as many good players as possible. Right now, Ivan is a Brentford player. I know he's enjoying his well-deserved time off after his time with England and I would be more than happy if he stayed with us.

"He's a goal scorer and that's very good to have in your team so if you want to buy him, it's expensive."

Toney has netted 36 goals in 85 top-flight matches for Brentford after helping them to Premier League promotion. His overall record for the club reads 72 goals and 23 assists from 141 games in all competitions.

Tottenham are closing in on a deal to sign South Korean forward Min-Hyeok Yang from Gangwon FC.

The 18-year-old has impressed in the K League this season, scoring seven goals and adding three assists in 24 appearances so far. He is recognised as one of the most promising young players in his age group and has touted by a number of clubs - including Spurs - over a possible move this summer.

football.london understand Spurs are edging nearer to completing a move for the talented teenager. It's understood an agreement is being completed and then medical tests are set to follow. Yang is set to stay at Gangwon on loan until January before moving to north London in 2025.

Tottenham believe Yang has 'important potential' and is a 'huge talent' for the future, with the winger compared to Spurs star and compatriot Heung-min Son due to his direct running attributes and finishing ability. A South Korea Under-17s international, Yang started three matches at the Under-17s World Cup last November.

Yang is set to be the third player under the age of 20 to join Tottenham this summer, after Archie Gray, 18, made the £40million move from Leeds and Lucas Bergvall, 19, joined from Djurgarden.

As for those going out of the door, Spurs have allowed Joe Rodon to sign for Leeds in a permanent deal, while Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic, Tanguy Ndombele and Japhet Tanganga have left the club on free transfers. Additionally, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg has moved to Marseille on loan.

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