From the doom and gloom of last season, the clouds have lifted at Tottenham Hotspur following the appointment of Ange Postecoglou, with the former Celtic boss revitalising the club and its fanbase amid a strong start to life in the dugout.
At the forefront of a side that are now firmly on course to secure Champions League qualification is Postecoglou's standout skipper, Heung-min Son, with the South Korean sensation leading the charge in the absence of former talisman and teammate, Harry Kane.
Operating either in an unorthodox number nine role or in his usual left-wing berth, the 31-year-old has been equally as effective, racking up an impressive haul of 12 goals and six assists from his 21 Premier League outings – already a better return than he achieved in the top-flight in the whole of last season.
2022/23
2023/24
36
21
10
12
6
6
8
12
1.8
1.8
82%
84%
10.9
9.0
9
3
Interestingly, that record of 18 goal involvements in all competitions has been matched by one of Son's former colleagues, with a fellow Mauricio Pochettino signing having also begun to flourish just a few years on from leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou's record at Spurs
Having begun his career on the books at both Nantes and Marseille, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou arrived in north London back in the summer of 2016, forming part of a relatively underwhelming crop of additions in that same window which included the likes of Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko.
The then-youngster had scored ten times and registered five assists in just 41 games during his spell at the Stade Velodrome, with that seemingly catching the eye of those at N17 enough for Daniel Levy to sanction an £11m move.
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As it proved, that investment ultimately backfired as the Cameroon international went on to score just once and provide only two assists in 27 games in all competitions for the Lilywhites, producing just one goal involvement in 19 top-flight outings.
As podcaster Chris Miller noted amid his eventual departure in 2019, the winger simply proved to be an "awful signing" having "sapped" Levy and the club of "hundreds of thousands in wages", having never come close to putting pressure on Son's starting berth on the flanks.
After loan spells at both Burnley and Monaco – which generated no goals and assists – the wideman eventually moved on to Besiktas on a £4.6m deal, albeit while having since been able to revive his career elsewhere.
Nkoudou's 2023/24 season in numbers
The 29-year-old spent four years in Turkey prior to leaving the Istanbul giants last summer on a free transfer, with that stint seeing the mercurial talent register 30 goals and assists in 108 games across all fronts – a respectable, albeit unspectacular return.
The Versailles-born speedster was part of the influx of foreign talent that arrived in Saudi Arabia last year after joining Damac FC, with that switch proving particularly fruitful on the evidence of his form over the last six months or so.
While operating in a league of perhaps questionable quality, the one-time France youth international has managed to rack up 14 goals and provide four assists in 17 Saudi Pro League games, proving just as clinical as Son in front of goal.
To put that into perspective, only Cristiano Ronaldo (20) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (17) have scored more times in the division so far this season, emphasising just what an impact Nkoudou has made in his new home.
That's not to suggest that Spurs should be ruing letting him go all those years ago – far from it – although it is intriguing to see just how this forgotten Pochettino signing is faring in his post-Tottenham life.
Nkoudou never proved to be the man to rival or replace Son in north London, although he can take solace in having at least outscored his former colleague this season. Every cloud…
