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It appears that the Lilywhites made a huge mistake when they sold an obscure flop.
The manager of Tottenham Hotspur has changed frequently over the last five years, which has caused a great deal of dissatisfaction both in the locker room and among the supporters.
Ange Postecoglou’s team consists of a diverse group of players, some of whom will prefer the conservative tactics of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, while others will never forget the exquisite football they were able to play under Mauricio Pochettino.
The former Celtic player has been unbeaten, so it is a wonder he has been able to put together any form at all, much less enough to take them to the top of the Premier League.
Daniel Levy nevertheless issued an apology for the abrupt change in tactics that created such an uneven side, even in the face of their victories: “I had gone through a phase where we’d almost won. We had some great times together with Mauricio. Even though we changed our approach, we still didn’t quite make it there. Let’s bring in a trophy manager was the plan.
“Look, you have to grow from your mistakes. We made the same mistake again. Although they’re excellent managers, perhaps not for this team. We want to play the way we want to play, and if that means it will take us a little longer to win, then maybe that’s the best course of action. For this reason, I thought it was the proper move to bring Ange in.”
Even if he seems to have struck gold with that specific hire, the chairman and his most recent manager stand to gain from the return of some of their important players. Very few people have experienced such a dramatic recovery as Heung-min Son.
How is Heung-min Son performing this season?
The South Korean was among the Spurs players who most likely suffered from Conte’s style of playmaking, which seemed to deprive him of the ball, scoring opportunities, and ultimately confidence.
He was honest enough to acknowledge how difficult the time had been: “It was difficult for a variety of reasons, but it strengthened me even more. I’m a more skilled gamer now. The previous season was definitely the hardest for me, but I also learned more than I did when I was eighteen. I was not expecting that. I’m stronger now because of it.”
With the exception of his first season, the 31-year-old has scored double digits in every league game since moving to N17 in 2015. However, his record was put in jeopardy when he only had three goals after 15 league games—all of which came in the same match.
Even though he would end with a respectable ten goals and six more league assists, it was still far short of what a player who had won the Golden Boot the year before would have produced.
However, with six goals in just eight league games this season, Son is more than halfway to matching that goal total, making that seem like a distant memory.
With Postecoglou attempting to highlight the impact of his new captain, such form was sure to get praise: “He has been outstanding as a leader and as a player.” He simply works so hard and is team-first when you put him in that role. What’s beneficial for the team comes first in his mind.”
The 111-cap genius, in turn, is eager to impress the new boss: “Look, I’m very thankful that I’m working with him and I’ve learnt so much about myself as a person and as a player. Although it’s been an amazing adventure thus far, I believe our future collaboration will be much more enjoyable. We are thrilled to work with him because he is providing us with excellent knowledge both as a manager and as a human, so I will comply with anything he wants of me.”
Even with all of these polite remarks, Jack Clarke is quietly leading Sunderland as a steady danger from the flank in a recent sale that is actually outperforming Son.
Why did Spurs sell Jack Clarke?
With a £10 million contract signed from Leeds United, the adolescent trickster who had evidently captured Pochettino’s attention had a very bright future.
North London was the ideal location for the eighteen-year-old looking for direction to take his promising career to the next level because of the club’s tradition of moving young players up through the ranks and into the first team.
Nevertheless, a series of loan stints fell short of this objective, as the wide player became a victim of the managerial roller coaster, which led to his 2022 transfer to the Black Cats after making only four professional appearances for Spurs.
| Heung-min Son – PL 23/24 | Jack Clarke – Champ 23/24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 8 | 11 |
| Goals | 6 | 7 |
| Assists | 0 | 0 |
| Average Rating | 7.70 | 7.65 |
| Ball Recoveries per game | 2.0 | 4.8 |
| Key Passes per game | 1.6 | 2.1 |
The 22-year-old’s manager at the time, Alex Neil, would emphasize the need of giving him a space to settle in and concentrate on his game without worrying about trying to batter his way into a star-studded squad: “Jack is a player with huge potential.”
“He was one of our players last season, and I believe he got better as the season progressed, but most importantly for him, he’s now one of our players. He clearly have quality, but all he needed was a place to call home, which we were able to give him. Jack feels at home here.”
Now he’s enjoying the benefits.
How good is Jack Clarke?
Despite all the odds, Tony Mowbray’s youth-focused revolution on Wearside has produced some amazing results, and this season, Clarke has been leading the high-flyers—who sit fifth in the Championship—into victory.
As a matter of fact, it is his goals that have taken them to such heights; his remarkable seven goals not only eclipse Son’s total but also establish him as his club’s best scorer, with a number of teammates coming in second with just two.
Though his explosive start to the current campaign was unexpected, such talent had always been waiting to be unleashed. It only required a demonstration of faith and a considerate supervisor to attend to his needs—the kind of attention he would have received had Postecoglou taken over prior to his departure.
Levy may live to regret this transaction because he paid a high price for a child, witnessed no return from an unseen ace who was rarely given a chance, and now let him go and succeed somewhere else.
Read More: Pundit feels 25-year-old Tottenham ace is ‘a different player’ under Postecoglou
