Ange could secure a lethal Son partner in Spurs swoop for “unplayable” £61m wizard – opinion

Prior to the January transfer window, there have been rumors that the Lilywhites are interested in the Brazil international.

James Madison’s arrival was a major factor in Tottenham Hotspur’s amazing start to the 2023–24 season as he got started right away in London.

Taking advantage of Leicester City’s recent relegation to the Championship, Ange Postecoglou signed the England international for an alleged fee of £40 million.

In his Premier League debut for the team against Brentford on opening day, Maddison recorded two assists, demonstrating that he did not require much time to adjust to life at Spurs.

This season, he has started 11 Premier League games for Tottenham and has made an impact with three goals, five assists, six “big chances” created, and 2.9 crucial passes per game.

But the former Foxes player hurt his ankle playing against Chelsea earlier this month, and he won’t be able to play again until January.

While Postecoglou’s return at the beginning of 2024 is expected to help, the Australian head coach may also try to add a player by signing Rapinha, who is rumored to be a transfer target, who could have a comparable effect at the top of the pitch.

Spurs transfer news – Raphinha

Prior to the January transfer window, Tottenham is reportedly showing a “concrete” interest in the Barcelona attacker, per a report from FootballTransfers earlier this month.

The source added that the Spanish team is willing to pay up to €70 million (£61 million) for him and that they need the money to get out of their current financial bind.

Although Barcelona is rumored to be interested in Cristian Romero, a player-plus-cash deal may not be feasible given their current financial situation.

In addition, the report claimed that Spurs, who are looking for a natural number nine to lead the line after Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich over the summer, have been turned off by Brentford’s assessment of England international Ivan Toney.

There isn’t a rush for them to sign a striker during the January transfer window, according to FootballTransfer, because Postecoglou thinks Heung-min Son can stay at center forward until the end of the season, at the very least.

Alternatively, they might move quickly to acquire Raphinha from Barcelona in order to expand their pool of options and acquire a player who could complement the South Korean international in the attacking role.

Spurs should move quickly to sign the Brazilian star at the beginning of next year because he is an excellent creator from a right wing position and could be a deadly partner for Son at the top of the pitch in the second half of the season.

Son’s season in numbers

Since Kane’s departure, Tottenham’s captain has had an incredible start to the 2023–24 season and has been allowed more freedom in the middle of the field.

Rather than lining up wide or beside the England captain, the £190k-a-week sensation has flourished as Spurs’ main man in the final third.

Since Postecoglou’s arrival, Son has scored eight goals and provided one assist in 12 Premier League games, demonstrating that the seasoned forward has so far proven to be a dependable scorer for the head coach.

The 31-year-old star has actually scored eight goals from an xG (Expected Goals) of 4.61 and has only missed one “big chance.” This demonstrates that he has been extremely clinical when it comes to the goal and has taken advantage of the opportunities that have presented themselves.

Despite only ranking in the top 46% for non-penalty xG (0.42) per 90, he is among the top 18% of Premier League forwards for non-penalty goals (0.74) per 90 this season.

On the other hand, Son finished the 2022–2023 season with 10 goals from 10.08 xG and nine missed “big chances” in his 36 top-flight appearances for Tottenham.

These numbers indicate that the South Korean dynamo has become more of a goal scorer this season. He is on track to surpass the goal total from the previous campaign and is currently outperforming his xG significantly, whereas he was performing on par with it prior to Postecoglou’s arrival.

Raphinha could do this based on his recent performances for both Barcelona and Leeds. 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.

The statistics that show why Raphinha could thrive with Son

The left-footed wizard, who primarily plays on the right side of the attack, came from Leeds to play for the Catalan giants at the beginning of the previous campaign.

Raphinha has scored nine goals, provided eight assists, and created 19 “big chances” in 28 La Liga starts for Xavi’s team since moving to Spain.

Eight assists from 10.49 xA (Expected Assists) have been awarded to him, indicating that occasionally his teammates have let him down by not utilizing his creativity to the fullest.

At the Premier League level, his teammates at Leeds did not capitalize on the opportunities he created for them. The 26-year-old sensation has already demonstrated his abilities in English football, as evidenced by his stats with the Whites.

In 60 Premier League starts, Raphinha created 22 “big chances” for his teammates but was only rewarded with 12 assists and 17 goals of his own.

The aforementioned statistics demonstrate the former Rennes prospect’s ability to create “big chances” at an impressive rate over the course of the last three and a half seasons. He has also proven himself in both England and Spain, despite once being hailed as “unplayable” by AllLeedsTV presenter Oscar Marrio.

In fact, Raphinha’s xAG (Expected Assisted Goals) per 90 (0.40) for the last 365 days puts him in the top 3% of his positional peers in the Men’s Big Five League and European competitions.

This shows that the 26-year-old maestro is among the most inventive players in the top European leagues for his position, which is why he might succeed with Son.

Raphinha’s ability to consistently provide his teammates “big chances” and high xG opportunities could be advantageous to the Spurs captain, who has demonstrated his finishing prowess this season. Together, they could form a deadly duo for Spurs in the closing third.