Tottenham have struck gold on the new Son

Tottenham Hotspur have restored something priceless since Roberto De Zerbi replaced Igor Tudor during the March international break: their confidence.

Not all of it, though. Spurs still struggle to beat their own worst enemy: themselves. They still struggle at their bogey ground: their own.

But Monday’s draw against Leeds United down N17 game after back-to-back Premier League wins in the Midlands, against Wolves and Aston Villa respectively, and now they are out of the relegation zone, two points clear of West Ham United.

Hopes of playing Premier League football next season balance on a knife-edge, and while injuries have laid waste to Spurs’ season, an ineptitude in the transfer market over the past several years has added fuel to this wicked fire.

Selling and then failing to replace Heung-min Son, for example, looks to have been a mistake.

Why Spurs failed to replace Son

Son is a modern Tottenham great, and while Harry Kane left north London as the club’s all-time record scorer, he did not leave with silverware. Son did. He captained the Lilywhites to the Europa League title, ending so many years of desperate searching for something tangible to call success.

Son joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen for only £22m, scoring 173 goals and providing 101 assists across 454 matches in white.

Now one of the most recognisable and admired forwards of the modern Premier League era, the 33-year-old needed replacing, but that hasn’t happened, with Mohammed Kudus out injured for much of the season and Brennan Johnson departed to Crystal Palace, abject under Thomas Frank.

It says something that the Londoners have lost these kind of players and failed to replace them. Part of this injury-ruined season has been an absence of leadership and inspiration, the kind that Son and Kane would deliver for you.

Tottenham have certainly been missing a few superstars this season, but it’s not just the forwards who can emerge as focal points. After all, Spurs have actually repeated their Son signing already, even if they still need to find a new world-class attacker to play in the South Korean’s place.

Spurs have already signed the new Son

Tottenham might not have very good (fit) forwards, but they have rekindled their fighting spirit under De Zerbi. The Italian coach has reinforced the midfield and strengthened the defence, even with Cristian Romero out injured and unlikely to play again for Tottenham.

In his stead, Micky van de Ven has impressed, winning six of eight duels against Wolves, and all five of his ground battles during the recent 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

Van de Ven, an athletic phenomenon, has been immense for much of his Spurs career, joining the club from Wolfsburg for £43m in 2023. Liverpool were among the interested parties back then, but he came to north London.

Standing at 6 foot 5, the Netherlands international is one of the best in the business, let down so often by the wider fragilities at Tottenham. Their defence may be porous, but it says something that Van de Ven and Romero are perhaps the two top performers in the squad.

His transfer value reflects that. Despite Spurs’ collapse, the 25-year-old has attracted significant interest from the likes of Liverpool, who have taken his dossier from the shelf and noted that he has indeed developed into one of the Premier League’s finest.

Valued at £90m, though, following renewed interest, it’s not going to be easy for suitors to prise this one away (unless Tottenham fail to win their two-man battle against relegation, currently leading West Ham by two points).

This is a stunning £47m increase in value, and while Van de Ven is not a forward, he is something of a Premier League sensation, echoing Son in growing into one of the Lilywhites’ definitive superstars.

Arriving from the Bundesliga as an up-and-coming talent, Van de Ven has emulated Son in growing into a superstar. Now that it’s looking pretty certain that Romero will leave as soon as the transfer window swings open, Van de Ven will surely stay put.