Liverpool have plenty of reasons to fear a new-look Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon, but for the first time in a long time, Harry Kane is not one of them.
Kane left Spurs this summer to join Bayern Munich and, surprisingly for many, Ange Postecoglu’s men have been the better part of it.
However, Kane scored 10 goals in 17 career games against the Reds and despite winning just one of those games, he was always a danger when the two sides met. -face.
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But he’s not the only one, and Liverpool may be just as worried about Kane’s old partner in crime, the reformed Heung-Min Son.
He may be regarded as one of the Premier League’s prettiest players, but Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp still have reason to ache at the sight of the South Korean forward at Spurs. After all, he scored five goals from his last eight Premier League starts against Liverpool, while he returned five goals from five starts against German Borussia Dortmund.
However, although he remains unbeaten in starts against Klopp in the Bundesliga during his time at Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen, it has been a different story in his meetings with the Reds.
Locking horns with Liverpool on 15 occasions, the famous 4-1 win at Spurs, in which he scored, in October 2017, remains the only time Son has ended up on the winning side against Klopp’s Reds. . And of course, such a run includes Tottenham’s defeat in the 2019 Champions League final.
However, a record of 10 goals from 16 starts in all competitions against Klopp’s teams ensures the South Korean is a danger man who could face what they hope will be a European big blow if he continues that scoring at Anfield on Sunday. And one who knows German is almost impossible to stop.
“I will prepare for the best Tottenham side,” Klopp told reporters before facing Spurs last season.
“There are times when you lose the ball, they just have to find Harry Kane and the next time Anak is in a one v one situation with the goalie. No idea how to defend that properly, the best way to don’t lose the ball.
As a result, is it any wonder Klopp wishes he had signed Son earlier in his career?
“One of the biggest mistakes of my life was not signing Son Heung-min,” he lamented to the Korean outlet. KBS news in November 2021. “Extraordinary player. He is unique, a symbol of Korean football and one of the best strikers in the world.
The German failed to sign the forward for Borussia Dortmund when he left Hamburg in 2013, as Son opted to join Bayer Leverkusen instead in a €10m deal.
“I want to stay in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen and Dortmund want me,” the South Korean later recalled when explaining his decision to reject Klopp. “Both teams play in the Champions League but I think Dortmund will use the rotation more than Leverkusen.
“That’s why I chose Leverkusen over Dortmund. It’s very important to play regularly at my age.”
Two years later, having scored 29 goals in two campaigns for Leverkusen, he would sign for Spurs for £22m in the same summer that Klopp left the Bundesliga. Today, a Tottenham Premier League legend, he boasts 150 goals from 379 appearances in nine seasons. But importantly, there are no trophies.
Due to Klopp’s admiration for Son, Liverpool have been linked with his services over the years. However, now 31 years old, that ship seems to have sailed for a long time.
But although the German considers it one of his ‘biggest mistakes’ not signing for the South Korean, Liverpool have no regrets. Son is the same age as their famous, now dismantled, attacking triumvirate of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Salah, after all.
Firmino would make his own move from the Bundesliga to the Premier League in the same summer as Son, joining the Reds for £29m from Hoffenheim. Enduring a slow start, partly due to injury, when Klopp took over as manager in October 2015 and inherited the Brazilian, the forward revived and became a legend at the club.
As for Mane, he was taken from Southampton for £ 34m in the summer of 2016. Klopp previously tried to sign the Senegalese for Dortmund, as he also tried with Son, only to decide against the switch. He later admitted that he could have beaten himself for such a decision, and made sure to change at Anfield, correcting a mistake he could not make about the South Korean, once the 31- year
Mane would register 120 goals and 38 assists from 269 games for Liverpool before leaving Bayern Munich in a £35m switch last year.
Meanwhile, Salah signed from AS Roma for £43.9m in the summer of 2017. He now boasts 190 goals and 69 assists from 320 games, and the 31-year-old is already considered one of the greatest player in the club’s history.
Between them, the trio could help turn the Reds’ fortunes around under Klopp. While Firmino and Mane could help get Liverpool back into the Champions League, the addition of Salah has contributed to their transformation into one of Europe’s strongest sides.
The trio would win every major honor offered to them under Klopp as the Reds were crowned champions of England, Europe, and the world.
Admittedly, if you’re selfish, you’d be forgiven for wondering how much more Liverpool could have won if they had Son’s talents to compliment their inexhaustible forward line. He is certainly a player who fits Klopp’s demands, after all.
However, apart from some who were impressed with their own views, the Kopites did not really think about what could be done when it comes to South Korean. They are happier with the hand Liverpool have been dealt.
If Son has any regrets of his own, given his lack of silverware compared to his Reds teammates, only he can say. It’s worth noting that while he didn’t turn down Klopp and Dortmund’s advances in 2013, that doesn’t mean he’s following the German to Anfield.
Likewise, if he hadn’t left Leverkusen, it’s impossible to know whether Klopp would have renewed his interest in Son’s services after his arrival at Anfield. Just like the South Korean’s impact on Liverpool’s title last year, it’s all ifs and buts now.
The son may have been a big mistake for Klopp but the Reds have no regrets. The South Korean could have been part of this story at Anfield, but instead he was a admired enemy, watching from afar as Liverpool won everything to win, with Europe’s biggest prize coming his way. cost.
A version of this article was first published in April 2023