Spurs join race to sign “electric” £86m Son upgrade

The summer transfer window is just around the corner, and after being one of the few Premier League clubs to spend in January, Tottenham Hotspur look poised to make another splash in the market.

Ange Postecoglou has overseen a reasonably impressive first season in charge of the Lilywhites. However, with no Harry Kane in the squad, goals have been a bit harder to come by, as evidenced by the club boasting just the seventh-best attack in the league.

However, if recent reports are to be believed, that could soon change, with the latest player touted for a move to N17 potentially being the perfect upgrade on Son Heung-min as the team’s primary number nine.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness), Tottenham Hotspur have joined the clubs interested in Porto’s in-form striker Evanilson.

The report has named the Lilywhites as a potential destination for the Brazilian forward alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.

According to the report, the 24-year-old’s impressive form and the subsequent interest from English sides mean that the Dragões are confident of securing a fee in the region of €100m for their star player, which comes to around £86m.

This would be an undeniably hefty investment from Daniel Levy and Co, but with the forward’s impressive exploits this season, it might be one worth making, especially if it allows Son to return to his best position.

How Evanilson compares to Son

Now, what is the most vital metric to consider when comparing two players tasked with playing as a nine? Their ability to put the ball into the back of the net.

There are, of course, other elements to a striker’s skillset worth considering in the modern game, but simple goalscoring still reigns supreme – just look at Erling Haaland – and when it comes to the comparison between Evanilson and Son in this regard, there is no competition.

In his 36 games this season, the Chuncheon-born ace scored 17 goals and provided ten assists, whereas in his 41 games, the Fortaleza-born Porto star scored 24 goals and provided six assists.

So, while both players averaged a goal involvement every 1.33 games, the “electric” Brazilian, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, averaged a goal every 1.70 games to the Spurs captain’s 2.11.

Moreover, signing the Fortaleza-born marksman would allow Postecoglou to start the Lilywhites star out on the left and leave Richarlison – who has just 12 goals to his name this term – on the bench.

Lastly, while the South Korean might not have quite the same explosiveness he did a few years ago, he has still shown himself to be effective out wide.

For example, FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, places the veteran in the top 1% of wingers for expected assists, the top 5% for non-penalty goals and non-penalty expected goals plus assists, the top 9% for pass completion, the top 10% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and the top 14% for assists, all per 90.

Ultimately, while the price is certainly something the club will have to seriously consider, signing Evanilson would represent a genuine upgrade on Son as a traditional number nine while also allowing the 31-year-old to get back to his best on the left wing.