Everyone’s very excited about the signing of Heung-Min Son from Bayer Leverkusen and the anticipation will build when they read this analysis from an expert on the Bundesliga.
We asked Paddy Higgs – the Berlin-based editor in chief of Football Collective – on his thoughts on Son, how he’ll fit into the Spurs team and adapt to the Premier League. Read his thoughts below.
He may be a sub-editor’s dream, but Heung-Min Son needs to be more than a fun pun to justify Tottenham’s €30 million outlay. What, then, can Spurs fans expect from the man freshly arrived from Bayer Leverkusen?
With 41 goals and 10 assists in the Bundesliga, first for Hamburg and then the Werkself, Son’s mix of class, pace and talent promises to bring much to Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
He has the skills of star Spurs man Christian Eriksen, but is perhaps more versatile across the attacking third due to his ability with both feet. He can also play higher than the Dane, as a second striker or even a false nine if need be.
At 23, Son has the maturity to adapt to the English Premier League. Some may question his ability to handle the physicality of the Premiership, but the Bundesliga – where Son has impressed over the past three seasons in particular – is no tea party either.
With what the Korean possesses, then, it is likely to be his ability to with new teammates Eriksen and Harry Kane that is key to his success at Tottenham.
Spurs fans should be bullish about his ability to work with the latter. Son had plenty of joy off Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling, scoring many of his goals Leverkusen by knowing when to drift wide, when to cut in and where to be when the 191cm German laid off or headed the ball down.
With Kane a more complete player than the German, the two promise to get great service out of one another.But what of Eriksen? The man who saved Spurs’ skin on several occasions last season will find the load eased if he can adjust to another highly skilled creative talent in the side. Son’s superior versatility means he will be more comfortable in the wider areas than the Dane, but he also likes to float centrally.
The danger is that Eriksen and Son might get in each other’s way. But the latter was able to strike a balance with Karim Bellarabi and Hakan Calhanoglu at Leverkusen, and the results followed.
Should he do that with Eriksen, it will not be long before he will becomes a favourite Son at Tottenham as well as at the sub-editors desks around the country.
