Son Heung-min is quietly undergoing his own Salah arc in bid to cement Tottenham legend status

After Harry Kane’s departure, Son Heung-min undoubtedly shouldered Tottenham‘s heaviest burden.

Son experienced a rollercoaster 2023/24 campaign in the first season without his former partner-in-crime. Despite finishing with 17 goals—his joint second-highest total in a Premier League season—questions have arisen about whether he is entering the twilight of his career.

While he’s taken on those critics head-on, the doubt still lingers as he approaches the final year of his contract. However, there are indications that Son—who has recently been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, where he could reunite with England’s captain—is starting to regain his form.

At 32 years old, he continues to be one of the fastest players in the Premier League, with his top sprint reaching 35.13 km/h. The South Korean forward has effectively utilised this speed, scoring in back-to-back matches as he approaches this weekend’s showdown with Liverpool. Since November, no player in England’s top division has created more big chances (8) than Spurs’ captain.

A reminder of Son Heung-min’s historical significance to North London’s Lilywhites is that his two assists against Southampton last time out brought his total in the Premier League to 68. This figure puts him level with Darren Anderton for the most assists by any Tottenham player in the competition’s history. It’s a matter of when before Son holds that record outright.

“We look at this Tottenham side, and everyone talks about Maddison a lot, but Son is the main man; he has been for years. He really makes them tick,” noted former England manager Sam Allardyce earlier this season.

The question remains: Is Son still performing at his best? Let’s examine the statistics since the beginning of this season and focus on players who have played at least half the available minutes. Only Bukayo Saka (1.37) has created more big chances per 90 minutes than Son (1.1). Additionally, Son ranks second, behind Saka again, in terms of intentional assists per 90 minutes.

The data indicates that Son remains a key contributor on the field, demonstrating strong performance compared to his peers. His skill in creating opportunities and providing assists shows that he continues to be a vital asset to Ange Postecoglou’s side, despite any concerns about his current form.

Postecoglou recently cautioned against writing off Son too soon, emphasizing that even the best players experience slumps in their performance. Just when it seems like their football careers are over, they often prove their critics wrong and make them reconsider their judgments. Being underestimated could actually work to Son’s advantage, much like it has for Salah.

“I think there were questions about Mo (Salah) maybe a year or so ago,” he pointed out.

“Go for it! It might help me if you write him off. I don’t get that sense. I still feel from a physical output and the quality he has and certainly from a mentality point of view, I haven’t seen it.

“What I do know is, from my own experience, the end comes pretty quickly. It’s not falling off a cliff, but you find with a lot of great players that all of a sudden it’s gone from bang to bang. It’s not a slow deterioration.

“I don’t see that in Sonny, I still think he’s got a hell of a lot of quality and from a physical standpoint, the way he looks after himself, I don’t see his abilities diminishing just due to the age factor at the moment. I don’t see that.

“You weigh up the output of it and he is not at the level so far this year that he has been in previous years but that’s a pretty high standard he’s had in the past. Can he get there this year? I still think he can. I think a lot of that is down to consistent game time.

“He’s had a bit of a disrupted start this year where’s he’s had a couple of setbacks where he hasn’t played regularly. I think with Sonny, the more regularly he plays the increase in that output. So, the answer is no, I don’t think so and I’d be wary about writing him off.”

His longevity is remarkable; of those still active in England’s top division since the 2019/20 season, only Mohamed Salah has scored more goals (114), while only Kevin De Bruyne (68) and Salah (59) have provided more assists. However, as the saying goes, father time is undefeated, and no one, regardless of their status, can remain excellent forever.

Son is on the verge of breaking into Tottenham’s all-time top 10 for appearances, having already played 426 times for the club since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015. He will become the first non-European player on that list. He ranks fifth on the club’s all-time goals chart, just six goals behind fourth-place Martin Chivers, with only Bobby Smith, Jimmy Greaves, and Kane – each having scored more than 200 goals – ahead of him.

Before facing Arne Slot’s team this weekend, Spurs will compete in the EFL Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, which highlights a significant issue. It has been 16 years since Spurs last lifted a trophy, despite having had several opportunities, especially with Son on the team. Notable chances include the Champions League final in 2019 and the EFL Cup two years later. If Son manages to win a trophy with Spurs, he will have an edge over Kane in terms of their legacies at the club.

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