Tottenham talisman Son Heung-min could return sooner than expected
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou might finally be able to name a full-strength Spurs team for the first time in over three months when Brighton visit North London.
James Maddison, Son Heung-min, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have not started alongside each other since Tottenham were beaten 4-1 by Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday 6 November.
That day marked the beginning of a very difficult period in North London as Postecoglou lost several key players to injury and suspension.
While those players have slowly begun to return to action, with Maddison and van de Ven both making their comebacks in January, they returned at a time which coincided with Son, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr all competing at the Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations.
Bissouma and Sarr have both returned to Hotspur Way after Mail and Senegal were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations, with Son now set to follow in the footsteps of his club teammates after South Korea were beaten 2-0 by Jordan in the semi-final of the Asian Cup on Tuesday 6 February.
It means, as per Charlie Eccleshare via his official X platform (6 February), Son and Bissouma are “both potentially available for the Brighton game on Saturday.”
Relief for Postecoglou
If Son and Bissouma are both ready to play against the Seagulls on Saturday 10 February, Spurs supporters in attendance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend could be in for a real treat.
It is difficult to emphasise just how important Son has been for Tottenham this season.
He is the club’s leading scorer in the Premier League with 12 goals, and he has also chipped in with five assists.
Before heading off to represent South Korea at the Asian Cup, where he scored three goals in six matches, Son got on the scoresheet in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on New Year’s Eve.
He will be looking to pick up where he left off and make a goalscoring return to action should he feature against Brighton this weekend.
It was a difficult end to South Korea’s time in Qatar as they failed to get on the scoresheet against Jordan. However, Son himself was still able to showcase his quality in moments.
As per Sofascore, he managed to complete 94 per cent of his passes, five dribbles, won five ground duels and played one accurate long ball forward, but at times it felt as if the 31-year-old was fighting a losing battle as his teammates failed to perform.
Nonetheless, after his fine form for Spurs this season, the Tottenham captain will be keen to put this recent disappointment behind him and get back to winning ways with his club.
As per fbref, aside from Son’s incredible goalscoring record, he also ranks in the top four per cent of his positional peers in the Premier League this season for the number of progressive passes he has played (4.48 per 90) and received (9.80 per 90).
He also sits in the top eight per cent of forwards in England’s top flight this season for the number of passes he has played into the penalty area (1.81 per 90) as well as the top six per cent for the number of key passes he has played (1.92 per 90).
Son’s ability and leadership are both crucial for Postecoglou and if he does return against Brighton, Roberto De Zerbi’s side could be in for a long afternoon, especially as the clash could see Spurs’ talisman reunite with the club’s chief creator Maddison.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs expert John Wenham believes the club could soon overtake Liverpool amid a £100million-plus boost.
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