Tottenham Hotspur gave themselves a real chance of qualifying for the League Cup final with their 1-0 win over Liverpool last night, but apart from that it has been a difficult season for the club.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have been riddled with injuries, which has massively contributed to their slide down the Premier League table in recent months.
However, in addition to their injury problems, the team has been extremely inconsistent on the pitch and a number of stars have looked off the pace for much of the campaign, including Son Heung-min.
The South Korean superstar still managed to find his way home from the net seven times but has been limited to 69% of available minutes in the league, so recent reports linking the club to a possible upgrade aren’t that surprising.
Tottenham Hotspur targets exciting striker
According to to a recent report from Caught OffsideTottenham are one of several teams interested in signing Borussia Dortmund star Donyell Malen.
Alongside the North Londoners, the report claims Premier League side Aston Villa are incredibly keen on the Dutchman and although they are understood to have agreed personal terms with him, they remain some distance away from valuation from the German team, leaving room for Daniel Levy and Co to pounce.
The potential price is not mentioned in the report, but a report from earlier this week revealed that the Bundesliga giants value their exciting striker at around £21million.
This could be a complicated transfer to complete before the Villans, but given the reasonable price and Malen’s abilities, it’s worth fighting for, especially as he could be an upgrade over Son.
How Malen Compares to Son
Okay, so the first thing that needs to be said is that given the incredible talent and natural abilities that Son possesses, fans shouldn’t expect Malen to come along and reach the same heady heights as he a few years ago – it would just be unfair for the Dortmund man because not many players are capable of it.
However, while Son is still capable of scoring goals and assists here and there, age catches up with us all and, as most fans would probably attest, he has struggled to have the same overall impact on matches than before.
This is where the former Arsenal academy gem could step in and, as his underlying numbers show since the start of last season, be an instant improvement for Postecoglou’s side.
According to FBref, the Dutchman “extremely fast and very dangerous”, as the former Mario Götze, Dortmund midfieldercomes first in the majority of relevant measures.
For example, he scores more goals without penalties, takes more shots and shots on target, makes more crosses and runs into the penalty area, and makes more successful stands and more, all per 90.
Malen versus son | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics per 90 | Malen | Son |
Goals without penalty | 0.56 | 0.40 |
Gunshots | 3.57 | 2.47 |
Shots on target | 1.70 | 1.17 |
Passes into the penalty area | 1.46 | 2.08 |
Crossing into the penalty area | 0.23 | 0.14 |
Plan Creation Actions | 3.02 | 4.24 |
Goal-creating actions | 0.56 | 0.55 |
Successful initiatives | 1.84 | 1.27 |
Continues into the final third | 2.19 | 1.68 |
Transport to the penalty area | 2.19 | 1.84 |
Aerial duels won | 0.38 | 0.14 |
Ball recoveries | 3.36 | 2.87 |
All statistics via FBref for the 23/24-24/25 National and European campaigns | ||
Aside from being an all-around threat, the 26-year-old also comes out on top when it comes to his defensive stats, as he makes more blocks and clearances, makes fewer errors leading to a shot, completes more recoveries ball and wins more aerial duels, also all by 90.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of lost balls recovered by a player.
Ultimately, Son is undoubtedly a Spurs and Premier League legend, but he’s set to turn 33 this year, and while he may still be a useful player to have in the team, he simply can’t not be a regular holder in the Postecoglou system.
Therefore, Levy and Co must act quickly to secure Malen’s services before Villa.
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