Tottenham Hotspur they gave themselves a real chance to reach League Cup final with their 1-0 win over Liverpool last night, but apart from that, this season has been difficult for the club.
Ange Postecoglou the side was riddled with injuries, which contributed greatly to their downfall Premier League table in the last few months.
However, on top of the injury problems, the team has been wildly inconsistent on the pitch, with a number of stars looking out of sorts for much of the campaign, including Heung-min’s son.
The South Korean superstar still managed to find his back network seven times but is limited to 69% of available minutes in the league, so recent reports linking the club with a potential upgrade aren’t all that surprising.
Tottenham Hotspur are targeting an exciting striker
According to to a recent report from Caught OffsideTottenham are one of several teams interested in signing Borussia Dortmund star Donyell Malen.
Along with the North Londoners, the report claims that Premier League second-tier side Aston Villa are incredibly interested in the Dutchman and while they have reportedly agreed personal terms with him, they have remained somewhat off the German side’s valuations, leaving room for Daniel Levy and Co rush in
The potential price was not mentioned in the report, but the story from earlier this week revealed that the Bundesliga giants value their exciting striker at around £21million.
It could be a complicated transfer to do before the Villans, but given the reasonable price and Malen’s ability, he’s worth fighting for, especially as he could come in as an upgrade to Son.
How Malen compares to his son
Okay, so the first thing to say is that, given the incredible talent and natural ability that Son possesses, fans shouldn’t expect Malen to come and reach the same dizzying heights as he did a few years ago – that would simply be unfair to Dortmund because few players are capable of that.
However, while Son can still add goals and assists here and there, age is catching up with us all, and as most fans would probably attest, he has struggled to have the same overall impact on games as he once did.
This is where the former Arsenal academy gem could step in and, as his underlying numbers from the start of last season show, be an instant upgrade for Postecoglou’s side.
According to FBref, the “extremely fast and very dangerous” Dutchman, as his ex called him Dortmund midfielder Mario Götzecomes out on top in most relevant metrics.
For example, he scores more goals without a penalty kick, takes more kicks and shots on goal, takes more crosses and penalty kicks, takes more successful runs and more, all at 90.
|
Malen against his son |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics per 90 |
Small |
Son |
|
Goals without penalties |
0.56 |
0.40 |
|
Recordings |
3.57 |
2.47 |
|
Shooting at the target |
1.70 |
1.17 |
|
He crosses into the penalty area |
1.46 |
2.08 |
|
He crosses into the penalty area |
0.23 |
0.14 |
|
Actions to create a shot |
3.02 |
4.24 |
|
Actions that create goals |
0.56 |
0.55 |
|
Successful downloads |
1.84 |
1.27 |
|
Transfers to the last third |
2.19 |
1.68 |
|
Takes to the penalty area |
2.19 |
1.84 |
|
Aerial duels won |
0.38 |
0.14 |
|
Ball recovery |
3.36 |
2.87 |
|
All stats via FBref for 23/24-24/25 domestic and European campaigns |
||
As well as being a more all-round threat, the 26-year-old also comes out on top when it comes to their defensive stats, making more blocks and clearances, making fewer errors leading to shots, finishing more rebounds and winning more aerial duels, also all per 90.
Ball draw is defined by the number of loose balls that the player has drawn.
Ultimately, Son is undoubtedly a Spurs and Premier League legend, but he is set to turn 33 this year, and while he can still be a useful player in the squad, he simply cannot be a regular starter in Postecoglou’s system.
Therefore, Levy and Co must act quickly to secure Malen’s services before Villa do.
