Spurs could land lethal Son partner in swoop for "unplayable" £61m wizard
Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a terrific start to the 2023/24 campaign and the arrival of James Maddison played a huge role in that as he hit the ground running in London.
The England international was signed from recently relegated Leicester City for a reported fee of £40m as Ange Postecoglou took advantage of their demotion to the Championship.
Maddison did not need any time to settle into life at Spurs as the terrific attacking midfielder registered two assists on his Premier League debut for the club against Brentford on the opening day.
He has started 11 top-flight matches for Tottenham so far this season and contributed with three goals, five assists, and six 'big chances' created, along with 2.9 key passes per game.
However, the former Foxes star suffered an injury to his ankle against Chelsea earlier this month and is now set to be out of action until January.
Whilst Postecoglou is set to be boosted by his return at the start of 2024, the Australian head coach could also look to bring in a player who could have a similar impact at the top end of the pitch by signing reported transfer target Raphinha.
Spurs transfer news – Raphinha
According to a report from FootballTransfers earlier this month, Tottenham have a 'concrete' interest in the Barcelona attacker ahead of the January transfer window.
The outlet also claimed that the Spanish side are prepared to cash in on him for a fee within the region of €70m (£61m) and that they are looking for cash to ease their financial problems.
Barcelona are said to hold an interest in Cristian Romero but a swap deal may not be on the cards due to their need for money to come in, rather than a player-plus-cash arrangement.
The report also stated that Spurs have been put off by Brentford's valuation of England international Ivan Toney in the club's search for a natural number nine to lead the line following Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich over the summer.
However, FootballTransfer claimed that Postecoglou believes that Heung-min Son has the ability to continue in the centre-forward position until the end of the season, at least, and this means that there is no rush for them to bring in a striker during the January transfer window.
Instead, they could swoop to sign Raphinha from Barcelona to improve their wide options and land a player who could play alongside the South Korea international in attack.
The Brazilian ace is a superb creator from a right wing position and he could be a lethal partner for Son at the top end of the pitch during the second half of the campaign, which is why Spurs should push to seal his signature at the start of next year.
Son's season in numbers
Tottenham's captain has enjoyed a sublime start to the 2023/24 campaign and has been given the freedom of the middle of the field since Kane's departure.
Instead of playing out wide or alongside the England skipper, the £190k-per-week sensation has thrived as the main man in the final third for Spurs.
Son has racked up eight goals and one assist in 12 Premier League matches since Postecoglou's arrival, which shows that the experienced forward has been a reliable scorer for the head coach so far.
In fact, the 31-year-old ace has only missed one 'big chance' and scored eight times from an xG (Expected Goals) of 4.61. This shows that he has been incredibly clinical in front of goal and has made the most of the opportunities that have come his way.
He ranks within the top 18% of Premier League forwards for non-penalty goals (0.74) per 90 this season, despite only ranking within the top 46% for non-penalty xG (0.42) per 90.
Whereas, Son managed ten goals from 10.08 xG and missed nine 'big chances' in 36 top-flight appearances for Tottenham throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
These statistics suggest that the South Korean dynamo has improved his form in front of goal this term as he is on course to smash last season's goal tally and is currently outperforming his xG considerably, whereas he was on par with it before Postecoglou's arrival.
His impressive finishing suggests that the former Bayer Leverkusen star could thrive alongside another player who can create big chances for him on a regular basis, which is what Raphinha could do based on his performances for both Barcelona and Leeds in recent years.
The statistics that show why Raphinha could thrive with Son
The left-footed wizard, who predominantly plays on the right side of the attack, joined the Catalan giants from Leeds at the start of last season.
Since his move to Spain, Raphinha has racked up nine goals, eight assists, and 19 'big chances' created in 28 starts in LaLiga for Xavi's side.
He has been rewarded with eight assists from 10.49 xA (Expected Assists) and this suggests that his teammates have let him down at times by not making the most of his creativity.
His fellow attackers at Leeds also failed to make the most of the chances that he was able to create at Premier League level. The 26-year-old sensation has already proven himself in English football, as his statistics with the Whites showcase what he can do in this country.
Raphinha produced 22 'big chances' for his teammates in 60 Premier League starts and was only rewarded with 12 assists to his name, to go along with 17 goals of his own.
The former Rennes prospect, who was once hailed as "unplayable" by AllLeedsTV presenter Oscar Marrio, has displayed his ability to create 'big chances' at an impressive rate over the course of the last three-and-a-half-seasons, as shown by the aforementioned statistics, and has proven himself in England and in Spain.
In fact, Raphinha ranks within the top 3% of his positional peers across the Men's Big Five League and European competitions over the last 365 days for xAG (Expected Assisted Goals) per 90 with 0.40.
This suggests that the 26-year-old maestro is one of the most creative players in his position in the major European leagues, which is why he could thrive alongside Son.
The Spurs skipper, who has shown off his finishing skills this season, could benefit from Raphinha's ability to provide his teammates with 'big chances' and high xG opportunities on a regular basis, and they could combine to make a lethal pairing for Spurs in the final third.