Last night was a night to forget Tottenham Hotspur.
Angie Postecoglou The team had the opportunity to turn their season around and make a significant impact on Arsenal's ambitions at the same time, but ultimately surrendered a 1-0 lead to secure 11th place. Premier League Defeat of the campaign.
Impressively, it was youngsters like Archie Gray and Lukas Bergvall who provided the best performances for the Lilywhites, while the senior players were painfully ineffective or practically unknown.
And even a scorer Son Heung-min He was disappointing for the majority of the game, so recent reports linking the club with a potential replacement this month shouldn't come as a huge surprise.
Tottenham is chasing Son's successor
According to A Latest report of football transfersTottenham is one of several prominent clubs interested in signing the Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho This month, selling it is not off the table.
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In fact, the report revealed that the Lilywhites have 'set their sights' on the winger, made a 'concrete inquiry' into his availability and may now be willing to test the Red Devils' resolve with a bid in the Eurozone. 70 million, which is about £59 million.
However, fans shouldn't get too carried away just yet, as the report also names European giants Napoli and Atletico Madrid among the interested parties.
It could be a complicated and expensive transfer to get over the line, but given Jarnacho's current ability and the potential many believe he possesses, it is a deal worth pursuing, especially since Son cannot be relied upon long-term.
How does Garnacho compare to Son?
Now, the first thing to say is that over the last decade or so, there have been few players as consistently great as Son in the Premier League, and when he finally hangs up his boots or leaves, he will rightfully be remembered. As a league legend.
However, time catches up with us all, and as he approaches his 33rd birthday in the summer, the club needs to find a long-term replacement and quickly. Although he can still score a goal here and there, most fans will attest to the fact that his influence is becoming less and less in games. With every passing campaign.
So, with that in mind, how can he face the young Garnacho? From a pure production perspective, it's a matter of very close combat.
For example, in 26 matches for a total of 1,825 minutes this season, the Tottenham captain participated He scored eight goals and provided seven assists For Postecoglou, who averages a goal contribution every 1.73 games, or every 121.66 minutes.
On the other hand, the Argentine young man recorded the same number goals but provided five assists In 30 games, a total of 1,641 minutes, so he averages a goal share every 2.30 games, or every 126.23 minutes.
So, with little to separate the pair from their outputs, how do they stack up against each other when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers?
Interestingly, while the South Korea international leads in a number of metrics, such as progressive passes, shots and goal creation moves, passing accuracy and key passes per 90, he comes in second overall.
For example, United's “dangerous” gem, e.g It was named after Paul Scholesperforms better on many attacking metrics such as non-penalty goals as well as assists, progressive carries, shots and shots on goal and passes into the penalty area per 90, but it also performs significantly better for defensive goals as well.
Jarnacho vs. Son |
||
---|---|---|
Statistics per 90 |
Grenache |
son |
Unexpected penalty G+As |
0.57 |
0.61 |
Actual non-penalty G+As |
0.71 |
0.69 |
Progressive passes |
1.99 |
4.75 |
Progressive passes received |
12.8 |
11.3 |
Holds progressivism |
5.70 |
3.95 |
Screenshots |
3.72 |
2.23 |
Shots on target |
1.48 |
1.09 |
Passing accuracy |
77.6% |
81.3% |
Key passes |
1.46 |
2.09 |
Snapshot creation procedures |
3.11 |
4.57 |
Goal creation procedures |
0.27 |
0.56 |
He treats |
1.19 |
0.56 |
Tackles won |
0.87 |
0.40 |
Blocks |
0.73 |
0.34 |
Objections |
0.77 |
0.25 |
Approvals |
0.53 |
0.68 |
He carries |
35.4 |
32.8 |
He enters the penalty area |
3.05 |
1.58 |
Retrieve the ball |
4.64 |
3.62 |
He won aerial duels |
0.13 |
0.11 |
All statistics via FBref for season 24/25 |
Not only is he making and winning more tackles, he's winning more aerial duels, completing more ball recoveries and making more interceptions and blocks, all too per 90.
What makes this even more impressive is the fact that he is so young and has years ahead of him until he reaches his peak, which equates to 26 years for a wide striker, according to For the research he conducted Athlete in 2021.
Ultimately, Son is a bona fide legend, but he is nearing the end of his Premier League career, and Spurs need to find a dynamic and potentially game-changing replacement, which by all accounts could be Garnacho.