New Tottenham star set to arrive early – but won't be rushed into Ange Postecoglou plans
Yesterday at 12:41 PM
Yang Min-hyeok will arrive at Tottenham a month earlier than his scheduled January transfer.
Spurs sealed a Korean K-League record £3.3million deal for the 18-year-old Gangwon winger in the summer.
Yang was expected to remain at Gangwon for the first half of the campaign ahead of the scheduled move on January 1 but those plans have changed.
According to football.london the South Korean will arrive earlier than initially planned to be given time to adapt at the north London club rather than thrown straight into the action.
Since confirming his switch to the Premier League, Yang has gone on to score an impressive 11 goals while registering six assists in 37 league games.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou – who previously managed Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos – would have kept tabs on Yang’s performances for Gangwon where the versatile star has been deployed on both flanks.
After signing for Tottenham, Yang told reporters: “First of all, joining such a big club is an honour. I will try my best to show my best. I don't think that I am that young. And I am chasing my dream. It is a big challenge, I believe I can show and prove my talent.
"Joining a big club like Spurs means that the club acknowledges my abilities. I believe that if I do my best and work hard, I will automatically improve a lot."
His eye-catching displays have earned him a solitary call-up to the South Korea squad alongside future Spurs teammate Heung-min Son but has not made the most recent squad.
And it appears the Spurs captain has already given the youngster a nickname ahead of the January move.
A viral clip from September showed Son putting an arm around Yang while referring to him as 'Tottenham'.
After the announcement of Yang's arrival in July, Son said: “He is amazing. He is doing a fantastic job in his first season in K-League.
Heung-min Son will have a new compatriot with him at Spurs in the new year[/caption]"I saw him yesterday for the first time, he was being very shy. Obviously, he's very young, he hasn't finished his high school yet. How crazy is that? It feels like I'm getting old.
“I told him to practice a little bit his English as well so he has time to practice. Yeah, looking forward, amazing talent, so looking forward to seeing him in a Spurs kit.”
Postecoglou said after Spurs had closed the deal: “We’re delighted to have him as part of the club, somebody who was identified by our scouting department.
“A young talented player and we’re always looking not just for the present but for the future. He’s shown great promise and we’re looking forward to having him as part of the club, once he’s finished his commitments with his club.”
Yang is one of the K-League's best performers this season and has picked up the Player of the Month award and the Young Player of the Month on five separate occasions, with four of them coming in succession between April and July.
He has already had a chance to show his worth to his new Tottenham teammates during a friendly match in Seoul in July.
Ange Postecoglou will give Yang the time he needs to settle in at Spurs[/caption]Postecoglou is likely to resist the urge to throw Yang into the mix despite Tottenham current injuries woes.
Wilson Odobert and Richarlison remain on the sidelines with hamstring injuries and starlet Mikey Moore is recovering from a virus.
Meanwhile, Son and Timo Werner have both returned after suffering muscle injuries in recent weeks.