Tottenham Hotspur are concerned by Son Heung-min’s lack of goals contributions this campaign
Tottenham Hotspur were knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa as they lost 2-1 to Unai Emery’s side on Sunday evening. One of the most disappointing performers on the pitch was their captain Son Heung-min, who never looked comfortable on the ball and missed a number of chances to get the Lilywhites back into the game before Mathys Tel’s consolation goal in stoppage time.
For many, Son’s performance was far from a surprise as they hinted at his poor display being a pattern for much of the campaign. The South Korean international, in spite of scoring 10 times and providing eight assists across all competitions, has been substandard in the final third and Spurs are eventually starting to get worried about him.
Mick Brown was quoted saying the following to Football Insider regarding the situation.
“I hear, (it) is a bit of a concern for the coaching staff because he’s (Son) supposed to be their talisman. For the last few years he’s been so consistent and reliable, he scores goals he gets them up the pitch and he’s running in behind. But now the goals have started to dry up and he looks to have slowed down a bit.”
Son has obviously started to catch up with age and lacks the pace and trickery with his footwork to take on the opposition as he has done for the last several years, while his ability to make runs in behind has also deteriorated. All things considered, it is a rapid but at the same time, concerning fall from grace, especially given that Tottenham extended his deal till 2026 a while ago.
In doing so, they extended their wage liability towards an underperforming and rapidly worsening player as well as a captain who has not exactly justified the leadership role in what has been a season to forget. It will be interesting to see if there are any offers from the Middle East or the MLS for Son in the summer, which Spurs will surely be tempted to accept considering his age and performances.
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As far as the team selection goes, Ange Postecoglou’s trimmed squad depth means Son has to keep playing in spite of his troubles, so unless Mathys Tel impresses down the left wing, there may be many more minutes of the Korean star left to see in the upcoming games.