Spurs’ “absolute jewel” could be the new Son

Son Heung-min’s legacy at Tottenham Hotspur will live on for many generations.

The South Korean international played 454 matches for Tottenham. Only Steve Perryman, Gary Mabbutt, Pat Jennings, Tom Morris, Cyril Knowles and Glenn Hoddle can boast more.

During ten years at the club, Son scored 173 goals, leaving only Harry Kane, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith and Martin Chivers behind him, exiting having lifted the Europa League trophy aloft in Bilbao.

Now in Los Angeles, Son is loving life in MLS, where he has scored eight goals in nine games so far, including a hat-trick against Real Salt Lake in Utah last month.

Back at Tottenham, the question was always how they could fill the void of Son, who has been an ever-present in the Tottenham team for a decade, but will they strike gold on an ‘absolute gem’?

Why are Tottenham fans so excited about Luka Vuckovic?

One thing you will never be able to explain to non-football fans is the tendency for fans to get overly excited about a player who has never played for their club before.

Well, Luka Vuckovic is the latest player to fall into this category.

The 18-year-old centre-back joined Tottenham from Hajduk Split earlier this summer for a reported £12m fee, although he has only made 11 appearances for the Croatian side, as well as 14 appearances on loan at Radomjak Radom in Ekstraklasa.

Thus, he was loaned out to Hamburg, which has certainly impressed Rothosen’s side so far.

He has started each of the last four Bundesliga matches, opening the scoring against Heidenheim at the Volksparkstadion, helping to secure their first win back in the top flight.

An HSV Fiago fan described him as “the best 18-year-old centre-back I’ve ever seen”, while Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig believes he is “destined for great things”.

Well, his stats certainly make for impressive reading.

So, there are plenty of reasons for Spurs fans to be excited about Vuckovic, but do they actually have more talent on this team?

Son Heung-min next at Tottenham

Given that he arrived in January, initially on loan, before the move was made permanent in June for around £30m, Matthijs Tille’s joining of Tottenham appears to have flown under the radar, but it could be an excellent gig.

This season has not started well for the Frenchman, who was not included in Tottenham’s Champions League squad, admitting he was “definitely hurt” by the decision.

However, at the weekend, Till responded by scoring his first goal of the season, breaking the deadlock against Leeds at Elland Road.

Manager Thomas Frank stated that he was incredibly “emotional” after that goal because he was “very happy for him. I think the character he showed from a young man really impressed me from day one.”

So why is Tel rated so highly?

Well, after making just ten appearances for Stade Rennes, Bayern Munich signed him for around £25m in the summer of 2022, at which point Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig described him as an “absolute gem”.

Known for his blistering pace, he scored 16 goals in just 83 appearances for the Bavarian giants, becoming Bayern’s youngest ever goalscorer when he netted against Viktoria Köln in the German Cup.

However, the presence of a certain Harry Kane has limited his playing time, which is why Bayern reluctantly sold him to Tottenham.

Well, according to Football Transfers, Tel’s estimated value is around £45m, and for comparison, Vušković’s value is around £14m, suggesting the £30m paid by Spurs is a real bargain.

So why can he repeat Son’s success?

Well, the South Korean also arrived from the Bundesliga at the age of 21, a year older than Till is now, while the duo also have positional and stylistic qualities, both possessing incredible pace as well as an eye for goal, and are often deployed from the left but are capable of playing in the middle as well.

Thus, with Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke all currently sidelined, Spurs are crying out for some creativity in their attack, something Till can often provide.

Having already proven his ability to contribute at a high level at such a young age, Till may be the biggest talent in the Spurs squad, not to dampen any of the justifiable excitement around Vuckovic!