If Jack Grealish is worth £100m then Son Heung-min is worth £125m, says Chris Waddle
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Chris Waddle believes Son Heung-min’s price tag is worth more than the £100m Manchester City stumped up for Jack Grealish.
Pep Guardiola made the former Aston Villa captain the Premier League’s most expensive player after the club couriered a nine-figure sum to the West Midlands for his signature.
The England international has since scored and assisted in three games since joining the English champions, but it was Son who stole the headlines when the duo met for his debut on matchday one.
With the subplot of Harry Kane’s potential transfer to City dominating the pre-match narrative, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men refused to let that conversation dictate the day, instead running out 1-0 victors thanks to Son’s 55th-minute effort.
The South Korean sensation signed a new long-term deal with Spurs in July and recently marked his 200th Premier League appearance for the club with another winning goal, this time against Watford at the weekend.
Regarded as one of the Premier League’s finest forwards, Waddle — who played over 170 times for Spurs between 1985 and 1989 — believes Son’s value far exceeds that of Grealish.
Waddle told Goal: “It’s the catchment he gets as well with the South Korean public. Tottenham get a lot coming to the games every week. He’s a hero in that country.
“You look at players – I like Jack Grealish, he’s a talented footballer, but for £100m, what is Son worth? He scores more, more assists. You would have the same predicament with Daniel Levy saying ‘I want £125m for Son’, and why not?
“Jack Grealish has set the bar now for a lot of clubs to think ‘my player is as good as Jack Grealish, so if you want to come knocking on my door then I want this for them’. It will go over £100m again.
“If Grealish had a clause written into his contract that he can leave for £60-70m, that happens and Kane would probably have gone for £100m. Because Jack Grealish was £100m, Son is worth £125m and Kane is £150m. Man City have shot themselves in the foot really by paying £100m for Jack Grealish.”
‘I’m surprised Real Madrid, Man City and Man Utd haven’t come in for him’
For a player who has consistently netted double digits in the Premier League since joining Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, including 20 or more across all competitions in three seasons, as well as receiving a Ballon d’Or nomination in 2019, it does seem amiss how Son’s name is not more consistently linked with Europe’s very elite clubs, a point Waddle was also quick to highlight.
He continued: “He’s an unselfish player, works hard, great attitude, always smiling, enjoys the game, and he scores goals, and creates goals.
“He must be a nightmare to play against. He comes at you again and again, he’s always looking forward and looking positive. He has always got good energy. He is a top-class player.
“When I read about all these clubs trying to sign certain players, he never gets mentioned. It’s like ‘he’s a Tottenham player’. I’m surprised that your Real Madrid, Man City, Man United over the last 18 months to two years haven’t knocked on the door and said ‘we’re going to make an offer for Son’.
“He is proven in the Premier League – he scores, he assists, works hard, fits into the shape of a team, can play in the middle and the wing, can play as a 10. He’s a top-class striker.”
