Son Heung-min has been running on empty for weeks. In fact Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest was just the latest in a string of sluggish performances from the captain.
Spurs were unfortunate to be behind at the break having dominated possession, but arguably the best of their chances had been wasted when Son failed to supply Brennan Johnson in space and hit his own effort straight at Matz Sels.
Prior to visiting the City Ground, the numbers had masked what is becoming an ever more urgent problem for Ange Postecoglou. Son had been enjoying a run of three goals and two assists from five games but those stats had been flattering in light of his wider form.
Against Liverpool, as Spurs shipped six goals at home, Gary Neville described the forward as “one of the worst” players on the pitch, leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold in acres of space to run riot against a makeshift defence.
Normally a fan favourite, Son’s failure to track back drew vitriol from his own supporters and summed up a familiar story – that his legs are floundering, he is simply playing too much football, and is no longer showing the pace required by Postecoglou’s system.
Son’s future has rarely been in question in his near decade in north London. It is a more pressing issue now that he has just seven months left on his contract, though Spurs have an option to extend that deal by a year which it is understood they intend to activate.
Beyond that, a succession plan for the 32-year-old is desperately needed. Timo Werner has scored three goals since his arrival. Mikey Moore showed signs of brilliance when he first made his breakthrough into the senior team but has since been sidelined with a mystery virus, not featuring since October. At any rate he does not even turn 18 until next summer.
It is what makes Wolves’ Matheus Cunha a more viable option than a more central option like Lille’s Jonathan David when it comes to January targets.
There is little danger of Son leaving next summer but the natural solution would be to reduce his workload by bringing in reinforcements. Both the home loss to Ipswich Town and the draw with Fulham were characterised by early chances, after which he totally tailed off in the second half.
As a result, of his last eight seasons, he is currently registering his second lowest xG (expected goals per 90 minutes) for the 2024-25 campaign (0.29).
It could be overlooked in the Carabao Cup win over Manchester United, towards the end of which he scored a superb finish directly from the corner flag. And it was his set pieces that impressed most against Chelsea but he topped them off with a goal, following that up with two assists and another goal against a hapless Southampton.
Son evidently still has plenty to give, but his first half contribution against Forest was on a par with Werner’s at Rangers, which famously provoked a furious rebuke from Postecoglou who branded it “not acceptable”.
It took 81 minutes for the Spurs boss to withdraw his similarly unsatisfactory counterpart – Son is just lucky he has more credit in the bank.