Spurs struck gold on “special” Conte signing who’s worth more than Son

After a campaign full of ups and downs last year, Tottenham Hotspur are in for a massive season.

Ange Postecoglou will want to ensure the Lilywhites make it back into the Champions League after just missing out last year, and while his team have endured a mixed start to 24/25, they have shown real glimpses of brilliance.

The Australian will need his team to be firing on all cylinders to get them over the line come May, although another season like the last from club captain Son Heung-min should be enough to cover for any underperformers.

The South Korean was incredible in the league last year and proved that, even at 32, he’s one of the best attackers in the country, although interestingly, one of his teammates, who former coach Antonio Conte signed, is actually worth more than him.

Son’s recent form

As mentioned above, the 23/24 campaign was an odd one for Tottenham, as they looked unplayable at times and alarmingly easy to play at others.

However, while many of his teammates endured quite dramatic shifts in form throughout the year, Son remained a reliable figure in the team, and his incredible output shows as much.

In his 36 games for the Lilywhites, the South Korean phenom scored 17 goals and provided ten assists, meaning that he managed to maintain an average of a goal involvement once every 1.33 games.

What makes this even more impressive is that he was constantly shifted from left-wing to centre-forward during the season, and at 32, he is well past what The Athletic consider to be the peak age for a winger in top-flight football.

However, for as outrageously effective as he was last year, Football Transfers has valued him at just €28m, or about £24m, which is considerably less than one of his fellow wingers is worth.

Dejan Kulusevski’s valuation in 2024

The winger in question is, of course, Dejan Kulusevski, who first joined the club on an £8.3m 18-month loan deal under former manager Conte in January 2022.

The Swedish international’s move was then made permanent in July for around £26m, which was supposedly slightly less than the initial option to buy included in the loan deal, per the Standard.

Now, it would be fair to say that in his time with the Lilywhites, the former Juventus star has both amazed and frustrated fans, although the reason he occasionally does the latter is that he’s clearly an immensely talented footballer who, on his day, can give any defence a run for their money.

For example, in his 99 appearances for the club, the “special” talent, as dubbed by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir, has found the back of the net on 15 occasions and provided 20 assists for good measure, equating to a reasonable average of a goal involvement once every 2.82 games.

This undeniable quality has seen his valuation remain high since joining the North Londoners, and according to Football Transfers, he is currently worth around €57m, which converts to about £48m, or at least double that of Son’s valuation.

Now, this drastic disparity is likely down to two things. The first is age; at 32, the South Korean is approaching the end of his career, while at 24, the Stockholm-born dynamo should be approaching his peak years.

The second reason is probably down to their contracts, as the £190k-per-week deal the North Londoners captain is on is set to expire next summer, while the Swede’s £110k-per-week contract is set to run for another four years.

Ultimately, both Son and Kulusevski are incredibly talented footballers and could be incredibly important for Tottenham this season. Still, due to the aforementioned reasons, it seems likely that the former’s valuation will continue to come down over the coming years, and the latter’s will continue to rise, especially if he hits his potential.