Come on Son! Tottenham star as Mane's Liverpool replacement a pipe dream
FT Desk
- 14 Sept 2022 08:58 BST
- 3 min read
Son Heung-min has been put forward as a potential replacement for Sadio Mane at Liverpool.
Mane and Liverpool parted ways this summer after six glittering seasons in which the Senagalese forward helped the Reds to Champions League and Premier League glory.
But following his €41 million move to Bayern Munich, the Reds have looked toothless in attack, and have got off to their worst ever Premier League start under Jurgen Klopp.
60-70% of Senegal want Sadio Mané to leave Liverpool.
He plans to do what they want 👋 pic.twitter.com/kIQBx8syyr— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) June 4, 2022
Son matched Liverpool's Mo Salah as the Premier League's top scorer last season with 23 goals for Tottenham Hotspur, a former Anfield striker Dean Saunders though Klopp should have gone for the South Korean.
"When Mane was leaving Liverpool, I thought there are only a couple of players who could replace him," the Welshman told talkSPORT. "And I thought Son would have been the one."
Son is rated at €55m by Football Transfers' sophisticated inhouse algorithm despite his own slow start to the season, while his contract at White Hart Lane runs until the summer of 2025.
Not world class yet
His dad also thought he should have left this summer.
"He must be able to play a solid role in one of the world's top clubs," Son Woong-jung told Chinese TV network CGTN in June.
"That's when he will become a world class player. He scored a lot of goals this year, but it doesn't mean he will do the same next year. Only those who stay ready can survive the difficulties. He must face everything with a cautious mind and can't afford to be too proud."
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How prescient Son senior now sounds. The Spurs attacker, now 30, has yet to open his account after six Premier League games this season, providing a single assist in that time.
Liverpool are currently seventh, meanwhile, having dropped nine of a possible 18 points so far.
Liverpool need a world-class replacement for Mane that Son may no longer be. Son, in turn, needs a club flying higher than the Reds to prove he is indeed at that level.
This one ain't happening, folks.
