Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has exclusively told Sports Mole that Spurs will be thinking about how to replace Son Heung-min.
The Londoners were beaten 2-0 by Fulham on Sunday, with the club failing to find the back of the net for the second time in three Premier League games.
It was also the 11th match in 12 games that captain Son had not scored in, and his performances have brought his long-term future into question.
Defoe believes that Son's form is natural given his age, but feels Spurs will be actively looking to find a replacement for the winger, telling Sports Mole: "It's part and parcel - players get older, players move on and it's about the next players, it's about the academy.
"I'd like to think the club will be thinking now 'who's going to replace Son', because when I left the next one in was Harry Kane. He's come in and done what he's done, and I think you've just got to be proactive and be steps ahead."
Son has been at Tottenham since 2015-16 and his debut Premier League season is the only campaign in which he has scored fewer (4) than he has currently managed in the 2024-25 season (7).
Son's legacy at Spurs
During his time at Tottenham, Son formed a formidable partnership with striker Kane, and the duo even broke the record for goal combinations in the Premier League in February 2022.
The South Korean international currently ranks as the joint 16th highest scorer in the history of the Premier League (127), and he only needs one more goal to move above Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and claim 16th spot for his own.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Defoe heaped praise on the forward and argued that Tottenham may even be able to look to the academy to eventually replace Son's impact, saying: "Son has been an amazing player for the last 10 years for Tottenham and the amount of goals that he's scored - he's in the top five all-time goalscorers at the football club. I would love to see him finish on a high and win a trophy.
"After that, it's about recruitment, who's the next one, who can you find, who's coming through the academy? Who else is out there that we can go and get because there's some top players there."
Son's contract at Spurs will expire in the summer of 2026, so while the winger may stay in London for another season, fans will likely have to prepare themselves for his exit sooner rather than later.
.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Son Heung-Min celebrates scoring for Tottenham Hotspur against Hoffenheim on January 23, 2025")
© Imago
Can the next generation of forwards step up?
Tottenham scored 68 goals in the Premier League in Kane's final season at the club in 2022-23, but they managed to score 69 in 2023-24 and are on track to net 68 this term.
Son scored 10 goals in 2022-23 but increased his tally to 17 in 2023-24 - his joint second-highest return in the Premier League - and perhaps another forward will step up in Son's absence to replace his output when he eventually leaves.
Defoe was keen to highlight that Spurs have several promising prospects developing, as well as currently established stars, when he told Sports Mole: "For the future, there's some young players coming through, I mean, Will Lankshear is a centre-forward at the club, he's on loan. Mikey Moore, [Damola Ajayi] who came on and scored in Europe.
"Obviously we just signed Dominic Solanke. He started slow but then picked up and was scoring consistently. Unfortunately he's had the injury, but I wouldn't say I'm worried [about the attack after Son]."
Solanke was signed in the summer of 2024 for a fee reportedly rising to £65m, while the likes of Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert have also joined the club in recent transfer windows, and fans will hope that they can take a step forward in their development in the coming season.
Jermain Defoe was speaking to Sports Mole courtesy of bet365's new Sub On, Play On product.
Lewis Nolan
