Having more than proven himself as one of the smartest signings in Spurs history, Son Heung-Min has become a key player for the club. His partnership with Harry Kane has developed into one of the most fruitful in modern history. The duo understands one another perfectly and play with a real swagger when paired up. However, goals across the rest of the team are in short supply, meaning that it often comes down to the ‘big two’ up front and then a solid defensive performance to get wins.
Rather than bring in another attacker, though, coach Jose Mourinho instead appears to want more defensive quality. Instead of trying to find more goals, the aim is to cut out the silly goals that Spurs concede. And one way to do that, it is believed, is to bring in the impressive Kim Min-jae. The South Korean central defender has been getting rave reviews for his performances in the Chinese Super League. Given the quality of attacker in the CSL, that is no mean feat.
The 24-year-old has been long linked with a move to Europe and has shown himself to be arguably the best defender in Asian football. At a young age and with ample time to develop further, it is believed that Spurs see Kim as a fantastic ‘two birds with one stone’ solution.
Why do Tottenham Hotspur want to sign Kim Min-jae?
The defender brings the nous and the athleticism that is needed to Spurs. The club has become rather held back by a somewhat plodding backline, with little pace and athleticism in the backline. Kim, by contrast, is a modern defender; technically sound, physically robust, and quick off the mark. Add in the fact that he has sublime reading of the game, and he can provide the consistency that Spurs need to make goals a less consistent problem.
However, he also does another thing for Spurs: convince Son to stick around. The Korean forward is in the middle of contract negotiations, and it is believed that the arrival of Kim might play some role in convincing him to stick around a little longer. The arrival of a quality young compatriot would not only make staying in London easier, but it would convince Son to stick around to develop a key partnership with a national team companion.
As one of the best defenders outside of Europe, it is believed that Kim will have many other suitors. Teams in Germany are heavily linked, but it is a move to England that seems to appeal the most. Seen as a physically dominant defender who can use the ball intelligently, he would make a modern improvement on many of the more slow-paced parts of the Spurs team.
With Mourinho keen to cut out the silly concession of goals, the hope is that the addition of a quality, quick defender might help to cut out those lapses in concentration and ensure that results can become a little bit more consistent.
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