Tottenham £40m transfer would be insult to Son Heung-min legacy - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung-min has confirmed that he will be leaving the club this summer, bringing about an end to his 10-year stay in north London.

Thomas Frank has already added £55 million man Mohammed Kudus to his squad this summer but Son’s departure leaves the club needing extra attacking reinforcements. Mathys Tel’s loan from Bayern Munich has been made permanent, but it feels a risk to trust him to fill the void of 11 goals and 12 assists provided by the South Korean last season.

One player linked with a move to Spurs who could be viewed as a replacement for Son is Manchester City man Jack Grealish. GIVEMESPORT have carried the latest reports of interest in the former Aston Villa forward.

Tottenham Hotspur linked with Manchester City winger

The outlet claims that Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a ‘significant boost’ in their pursuit of Grealish with the player willing to relocate to London for the first time in his career. It’s claimed that Spurs are ahead of Premier League rivals West Ham in the transfer race for Grealish - although nothing is confirmed yet.

The report adds that Spurs have made ‘early enquiries’ over Grealish as he struggles to nail down a role in the starting XI under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. It’s believed that should Grealish head to London, then it is Tottenham Hotspur that is the most likely destination.

To view Grealish as the ideal replacement for Son could be viewed as somewhat of an insult to the legacy left behind by the South Korean. For the whole decade of his Spurs stay, Son could be relied on to give 100% on the pitch and rarely did he endure barren spells.

Spurs must seek consistent Son replacement

The player’s reliability is one of his most outstanding attributes, along with the personality he provided off the pitch. Even as his minutes started to dwindle under Ange Postecoglou, Son never went more than five Premier League appearances without registering a goal or assist last season.

Meanwhile, Grealish managed just one goal and one assist across 20 Premier League appearances at Manchester City over the 2024/25 campaign. His assist came in September and his goal in April.

There’s no doubting that Grealish possesses a huge talent on the flank and, should Spurs truly be considering a transfer - reported to be valuable £40 million by The Sun - it’s admirable that Thomas Frank believes he can jumpstart the player’s career.

However, to replace Son, Tottenham Hotspur must look for reliability and consistency. Kudus has looked promising in pre-season but blew hot and cold for West Ham last time out. Too many players capable of long periods of inconsistency will see the club end up in the same Premier League performance predicament as they did last season.

In other news, Joao Palhinha to Tottenham medical update emerges as Spurs exit completed.