Tottenham sign South Korea prospect who could emulate ‘outstanding’ Son

Tottenham will sign 18-year-old South Korea youth international winger Yang Min-Hyeok on a five-year deal from Gangwon FC in January.

The deal ends speculation linking Spurs, who are about to face an XI from the K League top-flight in which Yang has flourished, with the 2023 Under-17 Asian Cup runner-up.

“I’m well aware of the quality of the K League,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said when he was asked whether Yang was about to sign earlier this week, adding that a potential deal was “difficult for me to discuss”.

“When I was at Celtic, we were looking to bring over at least a couple of Korean players at the time and I think they’ve brought a couple over.

Yang meets Ange 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Ub0pSW4v6n

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 28, 2024

“We’re constantly looking. I spent close to four years in Japan. I loved my time here and I really think the J League is a competition that ranks, apart from maybe the big five or six leagues in Europe, in quality with other leagues.

“I really believe that Japan is producing some world-class players who are already making their mark on the Premier League. We seen [Kaoru] Mitoma go to Brighton and the Premier League and do fantastically well. I took three or four, maybe more, players to Celtic and they’re all making an impact.”

👍 pic.twitter.com/ghInflq9EA

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 28, 2024

South Korea captain Son ‘outstanding’

South Korea’s most high-profile player, Son Heung-min, has been crucial for Spurs since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, scoring 162 goals in 408 appearances.

“They ‘ve made a fantastic impact in Europe, a lot of Korean players – none bigger and none better than our own Sonny,” said Postecoglou.

“He’s just an outstanding player and an outstanding person. He’s the captain of our club… we’re super happy to have him at our football club.”

토트넘에 오신것을 환영합니다! pic.twitter.com/Y0h6qn24tT

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 28, 2024

Yang Min-Hyeok stats

Yang came through the youth ranks at Gangwon and has started all 25 of their league matches this season, producing eight goals and four assists.

That has included three goals and an assist in his last two matches for the player who has represented his country at Under-16 and Under-17 level, travelling to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

Tottenham head to the Seoul World Cup Stadium for matches against the K-League line-up on Wednesday and Bayern Munich on August 3 (both 12pm).