Perfect Son upgrade: Spurs in talks to sign "world-class" £69m sensation
Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League last season, in case you didn’t know.
It saved Ange Postecoglou’s season, if not his job, and ensured that Tottenham will compete in the new term’s Champions League.
The baton has been passed to Thomas Frank, who has done such fine work in west London with Brentford. The Danish manager has overseen the £55m signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United.
With Joao Palhinha set to arrive imminently from Bayern Munich, things are starting to take shape down N17, but more might be needed in the attacking department.
Especially as captain Heung-min Son has announced that he will be leaving the club this summer.
Why Son is leaving Spurs
Son has been at Tottenham for a decade, joining from Bayer Leverkusen for £22m in 2015.
Across his 454 appearances at the club, the South Korean forward has scored 173 goals and has provided 101 assists.
To have won the Europa League in his final competitive month at the club, ending 17 years of searching for silverware at Spurs, marks a wonderful sense of poetic justice. Son is one of the finest wingers of his generation, after all.
But the 33-year-old has deteriorated over the past couple of years. Still a winger of high quality, he has made the decision to close this door amid talks with LAFC over the pond.
And he’s earned the right to make such a call. But if Son does leave, Frank and Daniel Levy must come together to sign a successor in the next month, even having already landed Kudus.
Spurs getting confident about signing Son heir
As per Spanish sources, Tottenham’s chances of signing Rodrygo this summer are growing, with the Real Madrid forward anticipated to join a new club this summer.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have been named as suitors in recent months, but it’s understood that such clubs’ intrigue is cool, whereas Levy is engaged in promising talks with the Brazilian’s entourage.
Rodrygo, 24, has fallen out of favour in the Spanish capital, but he remains one of the most talented forwards in world football, and Los Blancos know it. He carries the weight of a £69m initial price tag.
Why Spurs should sign Rodrygo
The 2024/25 campaign left something to be desired for Rodrygo, no doubt. However, this shouldn’t dissuade the Tottenham faithful: he is “the most gifted and the most talented player” at Real Madrid, says Jude Bellingham.
Furthermore, Rodrygo has spent more time with the Spaniards on the right flank than on the left, which, as a goalscoring right-footer, is his preferred wing.
As you can see below, his return of six goals and six assists from just 12 matches as a left winger in 2024/25 illustrates his potential. Vinicius Junior’s presence precludes him from playing there with regularity.
Right winger
31
8
5
Left winger
12
6
6
Centre-forward
10
–
–
At times, Rodrygo’s goalscoring numbers leave something to be desired, but he’s a prolific player all the same, having missed just one big chance in La Liga last season, as per Sofascore. Albeit he scored just six goals.
In this way, the Brazil international could be the perfect replacement for a player like Son, who, according to xG (expected goals), has been the most clinical finisher in the world since 2014.
Kudus, conversely, lacks composure and accuracy with his ball striking.
Described by former teammate Luka Modric as being a “world-class” and versatile forward, Tottenham must surely throw the kitchen sink at signing Rodrygo, if they truly wish to turn a corner and challenge at the forefront of domestic and European football with consistency.
Looking at how the South American compares to Son over the past year (having routinely been fielded out of position), you begin to see why he’s so highly coveted, balanced in his output, strong on the ball, electric when charging forward.
Goals
0.35
0.32
Assists
0.22
0.32
Shots taken
2.54
2.46
Shot-creating actions
4.56
4.89
Pass completion
85.7%
78%
Touches (att pen)
5.84
4.70
Progressive passes
4.69
4.28
Progressive carries
5.07
5.41
Successful take-ons
2.15
1.59
Rodrygo carries himself in a similar tactical fashion to Spurs’ soon-to-depart skipper, and it’s interesting to note that he still chalked up 14 goals and 11 assists across all competitions last year in spite of his woes, going 17 La Liga matches before the close of play without a single goal involvement.
But he’s also crisper and more athletic than the ageing great, understandably so. Aged 24, Rodrygo’s best years are surely ahead of him, and given what the two-time Champions League winner has accomplished thus far, it’s an exciting thought to think he could don a new shade of white over the coming years.
Moreover, Rodrygo’s pedigree in the Champions League speaks for itself, and what finer way to take strong steps back onto Europe’s elite stage than by signing one of its superstars?
With Dominic Solanke leading a frontline that does have its range of quality, adding a player like Rodrygo feels like it could complete the set.
An industrious and, as Bellingham says, ‘gifted’ winger with an eye for goal, the pieces could come together with this one, to be sure.
This might be the end of the line for a Tottenham great, but Frank has his wits about him and could ensure that an exciting upgrade is signed if Levy is convinced to go all out for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.
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