How Spurs could seal their best transfer since Heung-min Son this summer

Heung-min Son. Where would Tottenham Hotspur have finished with the South Korean in the squad last season? Probably better than 17th place, right?

Alas, a year ago, the spritely winger finally left north London behind, heading for the bright lights of Los Angeles, America instead.

It’s safe to say the forward has enjoyed a much more enjoyable time across the pond, although he will no doubt be sad with how his former employers are faring.

After all, this is a club he loves. After signing in August 2015 for a small fee of just £22m, he went on to score 173 times in the famous white of Spurs.

Since he arrived and indeed departed, however, the Lilywhites have not always got it right in the transfer market.

Where Spurs have gone wrong since Son’s arrival

It was always going to catch up with Tottenham eventually, wasn’t it?

While Spurs have signed some mighty fine players over the last 15 years or so, Son is included in that, there have been far too many misses. You can go all the way back to the magnificent seven as they were coined to realise that.

With the Gareth Bale money, they welcomed Paulinho, Roberto Soldado, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue, Vlad Chiriches, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen. Only the latter left any discernible legacy at White Hart Lane.

Truthfully, things have not got much better since then. The club’s list of record signings says it all.

While the jury is still out on the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons after signing last summer, a quick look at their most expensive players tells you there have only been two success stories; Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. That’s discounting new man, Jan Paul van Hecke, of course.

The two centre-backs have been mainstays for Tottenham since arriving but the less said about the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Richarlison the better. The former is widely regarded as one of the worst signings in club history.

On that evidence, it would be a challenge for Spurs to get any worse in the market. In fact, it would appear that after nearly suffering relegation the penny has finally dropped at board room. They need to change their approach.

How Spurs could seal their best signing since Son

With Robero De Zerbi at the helm, things look different now. He means business, that’s for sure.

The Italian has already welcomed four new faces to the club in the shape of Van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka. All Premier League-proven, there is a strong strategy here. The idea is that if they have experience of English football, it won’t take as long to adapt.

It’s why Spurs are also pressing on with plans to sign two mega-money midfielders in the form of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. If they could get both it would be a huge statement. They are the type of player that Tottenham should have been competing for and signing, rather than the medicore business of years gone by.

Fernandes would be a sterling capture but in Tonali, he would comfortably become one of their best signings of the last 20 years, certainly on paper anyway.

The Londoners are in negotiations with Newcastle to sign the player in what could end up being a mighty £100m deal. The latest is that he has now agreed personal terms as they edge ever closer to completing a club-record deal.

Sportsmediaset in Italy report that the Toon midfielder has reached an agreement on a six year contract to move to Tottenham. It’s thought that deal is set to be worth £10.3m-per-year and around £200k-per-week.

The report concludes by suggesting the deal could be finalised this week if all goes to plan. The fact he is not at the World Cup is helping things move quicker.

So, why could he be their best signing since Son? Well, the simple fact of the matter is that, in the words of his agent Beppe Riso, he is “one of the best midfielders in the world.”

Despite receiving a ban for betting a few years ago, Tonali has responded in emphatic style with a string of incredibly consistent performances for Eddie Howe’s side.

This would be Tottenham’s very own Declan Rice signing, the type of move that makes opposing teams take them seriously, a move that makes people stand up and take notice.

For too long, Spurs have been the laughing stock. They were very nearly relegated but there would surely be little chance of that happening with Tonali in the side.

Last season, no out and out central midfielder at the Lilywhites completed more key passes per game than Tonali (0.9). Furthermore, he had more shots per match (1.1) than any Spurs midfielder. Furthermore, with 6.12 progressive carry attempts in 2025/26, that again would have topped the charts among midfield players if he was in the squad at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

A complete midfielder capable of dictating play from deep, breaking up attacks and contributing in the final third, this would be an incredible coup for Spurs. Very rarely have the recruitment team got things right of late but they would deserve a big pat on the back if they got this one over the line. Their best move since Son could well be on the way.