Conte told to bench ‘disinterested’ Son Heung-min and give ‘sharp’ Tottenham man chance to shine
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has been told it’s time to drop the struggling Son Heung-min and finally give a summer signing a proper chance to prove his worth.
The South Korean has been way below his normal level all season, scoring just six goals and adding three assists in 26 appearances in all competitions – although three of those goals came in a 6-2 rout of Leicester back in September.
Son is clearly struggling for confidence and his normally telepathic link-up with Harry Kane has also taken a big drop.
The 30-year-old produced another poor display in Monday night’s win at Fulham, constantly losing possession and hardly having any penetration in the final third.
And that has now led to calls for Son to be benched in favour of the fit-again Rcharlison.
The Brazilian joined Spurs in a deal that could end up being worth £60million last summer. However, he has yet to score a Premier League goal – with his only two strikes coming in a Champions League clash with Marseille.
The 25-year-old former Everton man did have an excellent World Cup though, despite Brazil suffering an early exit.
And it was hoped he would hit the ground running after returning from Qatar. But an injury halted any chance Richarlison had of taking that momentum into domestic action for his club.
A problem for Dejan Kulusevski also left Conte with little option but to play the struggling Son.
Richarlison deserves chance to prove his worth
However, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonhalor has now called on the Italian to ditch the South Korean. And he thinks Richarlison should be given an extended run instead.
He told Football Insider, ahead of Spurs’ FA Cup trip to Preston on Saturday evening: “I was watching Son against Fulham and there’s something missing with him.
“When we’ve watched him in the last seven years, he’s always looked sharp. He’s taken players on, he’s making the right runs.
“He doesn’t look interested, he isn’t trying to beat a man – he looks low on confidence.
“If I’m Conte I would drop him and give Richarlison a chance.
“You don’t sign someone for £60million if you’re not going to play him when others aren’t performing.
“It’s a big decision, but I’d put Son on the bench.”
Son’s form may also have led Tottenham into their decision to take Arnaut Danjuma on loan.
The Netherlands international has swapped Villarreal for north London, with a view to making the transfer permanent.
Spurs beat Everton to the punch to sign the former Bournemouth man, who can play in both wide positions or down the middle.
