There have been some emotional farewells from Tottenham Hotspur over the last couple of years.
While Ange Postecoglou’s exit was not met with tears, the departures of Harry Kane back in 2023 and Son Heung-min in 2025 were sad indeed.
Kane left for Bayern Munich as the greatest goalscorer in Spurs history while Son will certainly go down as one of the most electrifying and most-liked players the supporters have ever seen.
While the South Korean saw his powers wane last season, he did still score 11 goals and register 12 assists in his 46 appearances.
Trying to replace that output has been a challenge. While Son reminds everyone of just how good he still is at LA FC, bagging ten goals in his first 12 outings in MLS, the likes of Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Brennan Johnson continue to divide opinion with their displays in the Spurs forward line.
Richarlison, in particular, is a polarising figure and despite his goal against Manchester United on Saturday, is not likely to last too much longer as a Lilywhite.
Why Richarlison's Spurs career is under threat
Has there been a more perplexing player in Tottenham’s recent history than Richarlison?
Signed for a mega £60m back in 2022 after an 11-goal and five-assist season for Everton, hopes were great for a player who had been a real nuisance in the Premier League.
That said, whatever possessed Daniel Levy and Co to pay such a massive sum was questionable even then. It’s a question we’re still trying to answer to this day.
It’s been a troubled few years for the Brazilian in north London. Back in 2022/23, he scored just one goal in 27 Premier League outings. He did net 11 in 2023/24 but followed that up with another terrible return last season, bagging five goals in 24 outings across all competitions.
On paper, the forward’s numbers from the ongoing campaign don’t look bad. The 28-year-old has scored four goals in 11 top-flight outings but his inconsistency is what frustrates supporters so much.
Having missed a big chance in the first half in classic Richarlison fashion, he flicked home a deft header on Saturday, a moment that looked as though it had won Thomas Frank’s side the game. We all know how that ended.
That rather summed up the attacker’s time at Spurs. A rash finish followed by a goal, but it simply hasn’t been acceptable for a number of years now.
BBC Sport’s Nat Haywood perhaps described Richarlison best this season, simply beginning an article by describing him as an “enigma.”
While he has found himself in decent form during 2025/26, the former Everton and Watford man has had his chance. He’s often found wanting in front of goal and his injury record is not the best either. As per Transfermarkt, he has missed 377 days of action since moving.
So, what’s the solution? Well, fortunately enough for Frank, Spurs have a number of top-drawer youngsters in their ranks.
How Spurs can solve their Richarlison problem
Truth be told, not many clubs in the country possess the calibre of young talent that Spurs currently have in their ranks.
From Lucas Bergvall, once wanted by Barcelona, to Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert, there are plenty of fresh faces in the first-team squad.
Beyond that, teenager Mikey Moore, who was previously compared to Neymar by James Maddison, has just scored his first goal on loan at Rangers while Spurs are also due to welcome the “Irish Alexander Isak” to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the form of young Mason Melia.
Lest we forget Luca Williams-Barnett too, a 17-year-old who made his senior debut just a matter of weeks ago.
For now, however, we’d like to focus on a young South Korean by the name of Yang Min-hyeok.
Spurs officially announced the signing of Yang back in the summer of 2024 and he joined the club once he had turned 18 in January of this year.
A winger by trade, before he’d even moved to Spurs, journalist and South Korean football expert, Jason Lee, suggested that the teenager “is expected to be Korea’s next superstar like Son Heung-min.”
While the forward is yet to hit those dizzy heights just yet, it’s been an impressive start in senior football.
Before he’d even become an adult, Yang was making a mighty fine impact for Gangwon FC in the K-League, playing 38 times for the South Korean side, scoring 12 times and supplying six assists. It’s easy to see why he’d captured the eye of Spurs scouts.
Yang senior career so far
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Club
|
Games
|
Goals
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Assists
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Gangwon FC
38
12
6
QPR
14
2
1
Portsmouth
10
2
1
Spurs
0
0
0
Stats via Transfermarkt.
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The young attacker is yet to play a senior competitive game for the Lilywhites but has enjoyed two separate loan spells in the EFL, firstly with QPR last season and secondly with Portsmouth in 2025/26.
Yang’s numbers don’t capture the imagination too much just yet but one can excuse a period of adaptation for someone who has only been in Europe for 11 months now.
It took him a few months to get up to speed at Portsmouth but he is now earning some impressive reviews. Scout Jacek Kulig wrote how he is “on fire” at Pompey, having scored against Watford and also fired in a winner against high-flying Middlesbrough in October.
Further described as the “Korean Marco Reus” by football writer Albert Kim, he wrote that “if you give him too much time and space, he’s going to hurt you.” That certainly sounds a lot like Son.
Yang has a long way to go before he can be considered a player ready to make an impact in the Spurs first team but capable of playing on either flank, as well as a striker, he has the positional versatility and attributes to take Richarlison’s place in the squad in the future.