Spurs scouts blown away by Son’s South Korea teammate as Asian Cup looms

Tottenham Hotspur already have one eye on a summer transfer move despite any potential January business, as the scouts in north London have been left in awe of a forward from a Premier League rival this season.

Attacking reinforcements on the radar at Spurs

Ever since Harry Kane’s departure from the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, Ange Postecoglou just hasn’t had a reliable number 9 leading the line at Spurs. It has actually been Son Heung-min who has been tasked with the role and, to be fair to him, he’s had some great success as the joint-second top goalscorer in the Premier League so far this season.

But, when he’s out of the side, such as this period with the Asian Cup, the Lilywhites are short on options. Richarlison has started to find some form with five goals in his last five top-flight appearances, but there is that slight worry about consistency with him. And, the recent injury to Alejo Veliz only makes things more complicated with no other real options up top.

Of course, the return of James Maddison will be huge for Spurs, but he won’t be as effective if there’s not a prolific striker there to put the chances created away. And if Ange’s comments from early in December are anything to go by, then he may just be open to a striker signing: “We are still well short in that area. It’s still the area where we’ve got so much more upside in our front third to score more goals.”

Spurs scouts wowed by Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan

Indeed, according to Football Insider, Tottenham are weighing up a move for Hwang Hee-chan, which would likely take place in the summer, after their scouts were “blown away” by his play this term. However, the Lilywhites may face competition from Liverpool, who are also big admirers of the “intelligent” South Korean.

It comes as no surprise that both clubs have been left impressed by the Wolves forward, as he’s enjoying his best season in England so far. Sitting just two goals behind Son in the Premier League goalscoring ranks, the 27-year-old has 11 goals and three assists in 21 games in all competitions (as per Transfermarkt).

All that said, the substance of this story remains unclear, as Wolves only announced last week that the forward had agreed a contract extension at Molineux which takes him all the way up until 2028, so the asking price may be a very steep one this summer.

Interestingly, Spurs may have a slight trick up their sleeve when it comes to persuading him to potentially make the move to north London in the summer, in the form of his good friend and international teammate Son.

Hwang revealed back in 2022 that he wanted to follow in Son’s footsteps in England, as a clear role model of his. He stated: “He had such a great season. I am proud of the way he represents the country, when there are so few Asian players (in the Premier League).

“Whenever I see him, it motivates me to play as well as he does. And I would love to keep getting better and challenge his record.

“I think a lot of football players see Heung-min as their role model, and I respect him a great deal as a fellow athlete. Since we play in the same league, I congratulate him whenever he scores, but at the same time, I want to play better myself. I don’t want to just say, ‘He’s great,’ and stop there.”