Under the 58-year-old, Spurs have turned into an attacking force to be reckoned with, led by Korean goal-scoring machine Son. The 31-year-old had originally been deployed as a left winger or centre forward in previous seasons but has since been moved further up the pitch after Harry Kane’s departure.
Son has hit the ground running as a No 9, with eight goals in 10 Premier League appearances this season. And his manager isn’t surprised. Postecoglou claims he knew Son was destined to play up front after facing him in the Asian Cup eight years ago during his time as the manager of the Australia national football team.
“When did first see him playing in a centre-forward role? Fairly early on in the piece. He scored against me in the Asian Cup in 2015, mate. That was enough,” said Postecoglou.
“I saw enough then to know he is a decent goalscorer, so I didn’t need any more evidence. I have followed him for a very long time and what you are looking for in attacking players is are they a goal threat? And he’s always been a goal threat and a good finisher.”
Tottenham let Kane go to Bayern Munich in the summer for £82million without securing a replacement. The decision initially came under scrutiny from fans and pundits alike but it has since proven to be the right one.
“It was quite obvious with Harry leaving there was a couple of ways we could go about it,” he continued. “I have said before I don’t think you can replace Harry like-for-like, another one of him doesn’t exist.
“So for me to think let’s jump into the transfer market and bring in someone who can score 25 to 30 goals in the first year, I don’t think was realistic.” Postecoglu also believes the best is yet to come from Son despite his incredible form. If that theory proves to be true then Tottenham could become serious title contenders in years to come.
He added: “I think the more he plays in there, the better he will get in terms of really being a goal threat in every game. For us, it is a massive asset to have.
“What I did know about Sonny having followed him for a long time is he is a great finisher, a smart footballer, he has great movement and a real capacity for working and pressing, the stuff I love my strikers to do. I just thought he would be a really good fit for us and it wasn’t the only option I was looking at, but it was definitely the one I thought would be the best fit for where we are as a team and what we needed.”
