Can Postecoglou maximize Son’s talent as Tottenham’s Kane replacement?
Can Postecoglou maximize Son’s talent as Tottenham’s Kane replacement?
Prior to Tottenham‘s trip to Burnley last weekend, Son Heung-Min had only managed five shots in his first three league appearances this season. Spurs have made a strong start to the season under Ange Postecoglou, but the offense has yet to connect. That wasn’t surprising given that Harry Kane had left for Bayern Munich the day before the north London club hosted Brentford at the GTech Community Stadium.
Despite this, only Manchester City (12) have more points than Spurs (10), with Postecoglou’s team scoring the same number of goals as the defending champions (11) led by Norwegian goal machine and previous season’s Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland. The Australian’s turnaround in fortunes and mentality is nothing short of remarkable. Last season, the Spurs were a team that exuded negativity. Postecoglou has brought back the good times, albeit with the season still in its early stages.
The Spurs did not necessarily replace Kane on the frontline. Rather, they repeated their summer window exploits of 2013, bringing in seven new players while making Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski’s loan moves permanent. The elephant in the room, though, was Kane and his impending departure. Richarlison was initially tasked with leading the assault, but despite some promising pre-season displays, the Brazilian underperformed.
The 31-year-old still managed 10 goals and a further six assists despite a campaign to forget for both player and club, and he explained why following the culmination of 2023/24. “I wondered a lot if I should even make this public, but I struggled with pain all season. I played through it for eight to nine months, but couldn’t go on anymore, so I made the decision finally and underwent surgery.”