SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur's signing of South Korean teenager Yang Min-hyuk becomes the latest East Asian player to move to England in 2024 as clubs search for the next Son Heung-min.
Son, the Tottenham and South Korea captain,'s achievements in Europe over the past decade have helped pave the way for players like Yang.
Yang, an 18-year-old winger, is the youngest South Korean player to sign with a top English club. Following his signing on Sunday, Yang is set to head to London at the end of Gangwon FC's season in January after having had a breakout season in the K League, scoring eight goals and providing four assists so far.
“Being a player moving overseas, it's very important for me to adapt,” Yang said, “but Sonny (Heung-min) will be a big help in my adaptation process because we're both Korean. Sonny is the captain of our national team, and I think that had a big influence on my decision.”
Son, who was the joint top scorer in the English Premier League in 2022, is perhaps the most famous Asian football star, but there are other stars in the English Premier League too: Fellow South Korean Hwang Hee-chan impressed for Wolverhampton Wanderers last season, while Japanese winger Mitoma Kaoru again starred for Brighton & Hove Albion.
“English clubs are traditionally conservative organisations that don't usually like to take risks, but players like Son and Mitoma reassure potential buyers that they can get good deals,” Simon Chadwick, professor of geopolitics, economics and sport at SKEMA business school in Paris, told The Associated Press.
“Son in particular combines quality play, consistency, a solid personality and commercial appeal, all of which Tottenham acquired at a relatively low cost.”
The Japanese and Korean markets offer better value for money than their European counterparts, with Yang's fee reportedly at $5 million. Brighton paid just over $3 million for Mitoma.
Interest has also spread to the English second tier this year, with Bristol City signing Japanese winger Hirakawa Yu on loan from Machida Zelvia, South Korean forward Uhm Ji-sung moving to Swansea City, while Bae Jun-ho joined Stoke City and Baek Seung-ho joining Birmingham City in January.
Blackburn Rovers and Hull City have both recently been linked with Japanese winger Yuki Ohashi and South Korean winger Son Min-kyu respectively.
It also helps that they have top coaches with a deep understanding of Asian football, such as Tottenham's Ange Postecoglou, the Australian who has worked in Japan and signed many Japanese stars as manager of Scottish giants Celtic before moving to London in 2023.
“I really believe Japan has produced world-class players who are already proving themselves in the Premier League,” Postecoglou said ahead of a friendly between Tottenham and Vissel Kobe in Japan last week, where Tottenham beat the Japanese team 3-2 with a goal from Son Heung-min.
Spurs will face a K League select team in Seoul on Wednesday.
“Again, I know very well what the K League is like,” Postecoglou added. “They have had a great impact in Europe. There are many Korean players, but none are as great and excellent as our Sonny.”
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