An upgrade on Son: Tottenham chasing £29m phenom with "an eye for goal"

We are now firmly in the second half of the season, and Tottenham Hotspur’s campaign has gone from bad to worse.

Ange Postecoglou’s great entertainers went into their early kick-off against Newcastle United on Saturday in 11th place, and thanks to a 2-1 defeat, now find themselves in 12th, with a North London derby their next game in the competition.

However, while the result against the Toon was poor, the overall performance was not and showed that there is still a chance that the manager could turn things around.

So, recent reports linking the club to a new attacking signing who could help him do that this month should excite the fans, even if the player in question could spell trouble for Son Heung-min’s place in the team.

Tottenham looking at new winger this January

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in Feyenoord winger Igor Paixao.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham and Roma have all scouted and been seriously impressed by the 24-year-old dynamo.

While the level of competition for the attacker’s signature is far from ideal for the North Londoners, the good news is that he shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, as the report claims that the Dutch side are looking for up to €35m for him, which is about £29m.

It could be a challenging transfer to get over the line, but given Paixao’s ability and impressive form, it’s one worth pursuing, even if he could seriously limit Son’s minutes going forward.

How Paixao compares to Son

Despite starting over the weekend, the last year or so has made it quite clear that while he can be a somewhat useful squad player, Timo Werner is certainly not Spurs’ first-choice left-winger.

That honour still belongs to club captain Son, although for all of his incredible performances for the club over the years, his influence over games is starting to wane.

So, were Daniel Levy and Co to sign Paixao this month, then it would likely be with the intention of him ultimately replacing the South Korean.

With that said, how do the pair actually stack up against one another, and would the “exquisite” Brazilian, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, really be an upgrade on the former Bayer Leverkusen star?

Well, from a pure output perspective, which is what matters most for any attacker, the answer is a resounding yes.

For example, in 23 appearances this season, the Chuncheon-born star has scored seven goals and provided six assists, which means he’s maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.76 games.

Now, that is still undeniably impressive for any winger, let alone one who is set to turn 33 this summer, but it is still worse than the man who could be his upgrade.

For example, in just 24 appearances this year, the Macapá-born gem, whom Mango claims “has an eye for goal,” has found the back of the net on five occasions and provided 13 assists to boot.

This means that the 5 foot 6 dangerman is maintaining a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games.

Ultimately, Son is undoubtedly a Spurs legend and could still be a valuable squad player for a few years more, but as things stand, his impact on games is starting to fade, and it would appear that Paixao could be the perfect upgrade on him.

Therefore, Levy and Co must do what they can to bring him to N17 before someone else gets there first.

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