Son Heung-min was ‘finished at Tottenham’ before dramatic recent turn
Henry Winter thinks Son Heung-min could have more in him after what he did for Tottenham in their 4-1 win against Ipswich on Saturday.
It has been a difficult season for the Tottenham captain and sitting 12th in the Premier League table is certainly a reflection of that.
Ange Postecoglou has struggled with several key injuries in his squad but high-profile players performing below their levels have not helped either.
Winter predicts Son revival at Tottenham
Spurs certainly haven’t felt like a side that are settled and with several injuries wiping different Tottenham players out, that has been the reality for Postecoglou.
The manager would have hoped he would be able to rely on his senior players in the squad to see the North London outfit through the difficult times.
However, if anything, it has been the young players including the likes of Archie Gray who have impressed while those you would expect to step up have gone missing.
Son is one player who has definitely been accused of that with many arguing that the 32-year-old has fallen below his standards this term.
| Season | Goals | Assists |
| 2024/25 | 6 | 9 |
| 2023/24 | 17 | 10 |
| 2022/23 | 10 | 6 |
That being said, as Tottenham beat Ipswich on 22 February, the captain offered a performance much closer to what was expected contributing the assists for the first two goals.
After watching the game, Winter admitted he could see Son’s old self returning, as he said: “Having watched a fair bit of Heung-min Son of late, I was convinced he was past his best, a fading force at 32.
“Judging Tottenham Hotspur’s captain against Ipswich Town’s naïve defence may not lead to the most accurate of conclusions but there were definite signs of a welcome revival in Son’s form. He created Brennan Johnson’s two goals with some of his old sleight of foot to deceive a defender and accurate delivery.
“Son will need replacing at some point, but not quite yet.”
Ange Postecoglou needs senior players to step up
Given Tottenham’s poor form this term, it’s not too surprising that it has led to speculation surrounding Postecoglou’s future in North London.
There is no doubt that the boss has to take some responsibility for the position his side find themselves in. His stubbornness and lack of adaptability to different styles of football to suit the players he has available has certainly led to defeat on some occasions.
However, you would expect players like Son to be the ones who show a good account of themselves throughout the season, regardless of the overall levels being shown by his team.
As Winter says, a performance against a struggling Ipswich side may not be the best time to make a definitive judgement on Son and his future but he certainly did show positive signs after being underwhelming of late.
With three wins from their last three league games, the Lilywhites need to build upon this momentum and if the captain wants to save his Spurs future, he needs to be leading the way.