Damola Ajayi could be long-term successor for Son Heung-min at Tottenham amid his Under-18s goalscoring form
A large part of Son Heung-min’s incredible success with Tottenham has been based on his ability to score goals from wide positions.
While the South Korea international has spent a large majority of the season playing up top for Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Spurs, it is out wide where he first made his name in north London.
Many wingers have come and gone during Son’s time at the club. Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn, Erik Lamela and Georges-Kévin N’Koudou are all names which immediately spring to mind. The difference between those players and Son is the 31-year-old’s ability to impact the game from out wide.
Son made a relatively slow start to life in England upon his arrival at Hotspur Way from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015. Initially, he was nothing more than a bit-part player for Mauricio Pochettino, but his eight goals from 2,203 minutes in all competitions throughout his debut season demonstrated his incredible potential.
His form took off the following year, as he scored 14 times in the Premier League and 21 times in all competitions while playing the majority of his football on the left. Since this point he has not looked back, going from strength to strength, scoring 113 Premier League goals to date, which leaves him 23rd in the division’s all-time rankings.
With plenty of time ahead of him, and just ten goals separating himself and 19th-placed Dwight Yorke, it is highly likely the Spurs captain will crack the top 20, a remarkable feat for a player who has featured predominantly out wide.
When Son inevitably retires, his absence will be felt and Spurs will be keen to quickly replace his goals, and luckily for the north London side, they have a potential replacement already shining in their academy.
That man is Under-18s star Damola Ajayi, who just like Son, has an eye for goal from out wide.
Ajayi first broke into the Under-18s picture during the 2021/22 season, featuring twice in the Under-18 Premier League South, before playing 16 times in the same competition throughout the following campaign, getting himself on the scoresheet six times.
However, it is this season in which the 17-year-old has really come to life. In just eight league starts, he has almost matched his tally from last season, scoring five times while providing two assists.
His one appearance for the Under-21s this season came in a 5-0 win away at last season’s Premier League 2 champions Manchester City Under-21s on 12 August, where he scored and provided an assist.
Not only does he score, but just like Son, Ajayi scores big goals.
Every Spurs fan remembers where they were when Son hit a brace at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, or when he netted a world-class strike from distance against Arsenal in the north London derby. Son loves a big game, and so does Ajayi.
Just this season, the youngster has netted a winner against West Brom Under-18s, as well as a 94th-minute decider in a thrilling 4-3 win over Chelsea Under-18s.
This is a player who clearly has an eye for goal as well as the knack to score on a big occasion, and if Ajayi can successfully translate that to the first-team set-up, Tottenham might not need to look much further than their own training ground for a Son replacement.
In other Tottenham news, a Spurs expert has made a “surprising” verdict ahead of the club’s Premier League meeting with in-form Everton.