The last few years have seen Tottenham Hotspur become far more competent in the transfer window.
Aside from perhaps Richarlison at £60m, the North Londoners have not made too many mistakes in the market, and even then, there were periods of last season in which the Brazilian poacher looked unplayable, racking up 12 goals and four assists in 31 games.
Even with the departure of Harry Kane last summer, the club have managed to remain relatively competitive and exciting to watch, thanks to additions like Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson. However, Ange Postecoglou's arrival and the incredible exploits of club captain Son Heung-min certainly helped last season.
That said, for as outrageously talented as the South Korean international is, one of the manager's own signings is now worth considerably more than him.
Son's valuation in 2024
Spurs completed the £22m signing of Son from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015, and to say it was money well spent would be a mammoth understatement.
In the years since his arrival, the superstar winger has gone on to become one of the best attackers in European football and a modern-day Premier League icon.
For example, in 411 appearances for the Lilywhites, he's scored 164 goals and provided 84 assists, meaning that for the last nine years, he has averaged a goal involvement once every 1.65 games – talk about world-class.
Appearances
411
Goals
164
Assists
84
Goal Involvements per Match
0.60
It's not just his raw output that makes him such an incredible player for the North Londoners, though, as after Kane's departure, the Chuncheon-born star has become the club's captain, showing that he can also be a leader when needed.
In all, Son has been an exceptional player for Spurs, and he still is, although at 32 years old, his valuation has started to decrease, with Transfermarkt now pricing him at just €45m, which converts to about £38m, which is lower than one of the stars Postecoglou signed last summer.
James Maddison's valuation in 2024
Yes, the signing in question is former Leicester City ace James Maddison, who joined Spurs for just £40m last summer.
Interestingly, in the year since, his valuation has shot up to €70m, according to Transfermarkt, which converts to around £59m, or about £21m more than Son's, and a couple of reasons might explain why.
The first is that while the Englishman didn't have an incredible campaign last season, he was not as underwhelming as some people seem to think he was.
In the 30 appearances he did make on either side of his injury, he scored four goals and provided nine assists, equating to a reasonable average of a goal involvement every 2.30 games.
So, with this level of output combined with the fact that he produced 19 goal involvements in 32 games for the Foxes the year prior and already has two assists in three matches this season, it's clear that the "incredible" midfielder, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is still able to have a significant impact on games.
Appearances
32
30
3
Goals
10
4
0
Assists
9
9
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.59
0.43
0.66
The second reason his valuation is so much higher than his captain's is simply down to his age.
While he's not a young up-and-comer anymore, at 27 years old, you would expect that he has another three to five seasons left in him at the very top.
Ultimately, Spurs are fortunate to have both Son and Maddison in their squad at the moment, but based on his overall form in the last few years and age, it makes sense to see that the latter is valued more than the former.
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