Dele Alli’s arrival at Tottenham is easily identifiable as the gold standard for Premier League transfers. Signed for just £5.97 million (as per Transfer Markt) the Englishman has since turned into one of Europe’s best midfielders, and his present market value of £90 million (as per Transfer Markt) proves that his growth has been exponential.
He’s now one of Tottenham’s best and most important players, and Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino deserve a lot of credit for bringing him in. However, he doesn’t even break the surface when considering all of the fantastic signings that have been made at Tottenham over the years.
Indeed, there’s a case for many of their other recent captures being the most important in recent memory, and that’s certainly the case for Son Heung-min. Signed for £27 million (as per Transfer Markt), the South Korean international hasn’t always been effective, but over the last two years, he’s emerged as one of Tottenham’s biggest and best players.
He proved that once again over the weekend, and not for the first time. A week removed from a Man of the Match performance against Watford, he followed up with another winning goal against Newcastle. He was, once again, one of the best players on the pitch, and his impact speaks for itself. With Harry Kane currently out injured, Son has needed to step up to the plate, and he’s done that and more.
In a wider context, Son has been instrumental in Tottenham’s recent success. He’s bagged 36 league goals over the last three seasons, alongside 17 assists – and he’s on course for his best season yet, despite missing part of it due to his international commitments. Given that Dele Alli has bagged just 5 goals this season, there’s no denying who is more important at present.
Sure, Tottenham wouldn’t be able to sell Son for 20 or 30 times what they bought him for like they likely could with Dele Alli, but he’s emerged as the man for the big moment and the ultimate game-changer for Spurs; and you can’t put a price on that. Tottenham have done some incredible business over the years; and Son’s arrival is up there with the best of it.
Thoughts?