Electric Son Heung-min turbocharging Spurs’ Angeball revolution Premium

Son Heung-min is thriving in his new role as Tottenham's central striker, scoring 6 Premier League goals and assisting 80 since signing in 2015. He has stepped up to fill the void left by Harry Kane's departure, leading the press, pinning the centre-backs, and making runs behind the last line of defence. Postecoglou's system marries Son's elite movement with new signing James Maddison's creative passing, and Spurs sit 2nd in the table. Son is determined to prove he is the player everyone knows and is on his way to becoming Tottenham's talisman.

Tottenham’s captain is thriving in his new role as a central striker under manager Ange Postecoglou. Already a cult hero, he can attain an even more exalted status after Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich — that of talisman

Attempting to fill a Harry Kane-sized hole in any squad is a headache for a manager.

Considering how central the 30-year-old was to Tottenham Hotspur’s football and identity, new manager Ange Postecoglou was confronted by an even more demanding task. Kane had grown into a talismanic figure at Spurs, which had become increasingly dependent on the England captain. Last season, he scored 43% of the side’s Premier League goals and contributed to a large proportion of the remainder in his role as one of the world’s best playmaking No. 9s.

Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich in the summer — in pursuit of the first silverware of his career — meant that Tottenham, for the first time since 2014, was unable to call upon its standard-bearer for a north London league derby against rival Arsenal last month. Kane, the club’s all-time top-scorer, also has the most goals in the derby’s history: an impressive 14.

But Son Heung-min stepped into the breach, producing two silky finishes, one in each half, which ensured that the 194th edition of the London rivalry ended with honours even. Son has a reputation for being a lethal finisher who delivers in the clutch — in the absence of Kane, with whom he had formed a deadly strike partnership, the South Korean forward enhanced his standing with a performance that proved Postecoglou was right to trust him.

Son, whom Postecoglou named Spurs captain on the day Kane joined Bayern, played as a centre-forward against Arsenal. While he did not replicate his former teammate’s all-around style, he did everything his manager asked of him to a high standard, leading the press, pinning the centre-backs, and making runs behind the last line of defence to devastating effect.

Son found the back of the net again last weekend, in the controversial 2-1 win over Liverpool, taking his tally to six Premier League goals this season, second only to Erling Haaland’s eight.