Tottenham cannot count on Son Heung-Min

The Korean attacker is adored by most Tottenham fans, which is quite strange given his lack of production on the pitch

As a Tottenham fan I really want to like Son Heung-Min. He’s got a priceless smile that seems infectious and his willingness to go at defenders makes him the type of player we want at Spurs. Unfortunately, his play on the pitch hasn’t been good enough for me to become a fan. His lack of production has made him one of my least favorite Spurs.

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He’s not at Nacer Chadli level yet, but he’s closer than you think. While thousands of fans continue to bang on about Erik Lamela being a flop, I’m amazed that Son isn’t getting the same sort of treatment. After all, he’s been significantly worse than Lamela on the pitch this season.

For a man who came in with a reputation as an excellent finisher, he hasn’t managed to find the back of the net that often. He only has two Premier League goals to his name this season and one assist in 21 appearances. Is that really enough production for a player who came to White Hart Lane with such a high price tag?

It’s not nearly enough for me. I was willing to be patient with Son in the beginning. After all, it’s very difficult for some players to adjust to English football. It’s an entirely new culture for him and the style of play is somewhat different from what he faced in the Bundesliga. He’s been in the Tottenham setup for long enough now that he should be starting to find his best form.

Instead, his play over the last several weeks has been some of his worst of the season. He’s failed to post a Whoscored.com rating of seven or above in his last six matches. His only goal in that stretch came yesterday in an absolute gift against Dortmund. Whether he’s been deployed as an attacking midfielder or a striker, he’s been firing nothing but blanks.

Now I’m not saying that Tottenham should stop playing Son for the rest of the season or even that they should sell him this summer. What I am saying, is that they cannot go into next season assuming that he’s going to man one of their attacking positions against quality opponents. He certainly can’t do so as a number nine and it’s fair to have serious questions about whether or not he can do the job in the attacking midfield.

That revelation has to be a significant disappointment for Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino. They spent big on Son in the hopes that he’d be an integral part of the Spurs attack as the team progressed to a Champions League level. It seemed to be a good purchase given his performances in the Bundesliga as well. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out so far.

That means Levy and company will need to plunge themselves into the transfer market this summer in search of not only a striker to provide cover for Harry Kane, but another starting quality attacking midfielder as well. The pressures of Champions League football and hopefully, another run at the Premier League title will require significant improvement in those areas. The difference in quality between Dortmund’s attackers and Tottenham’s should make it clear that investment is required.

Perhaps Son Heung-Min can find his feet this summer and Pochettino can help him regain his form. Tottenham can’t count on it though. The struggles of Son mean Tottenham must buy a top-class attacking midfielder this summer.

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