Tottenham’s Son heavily undervalued on latest transfer valuation

A recent list of transfer valuations ranks Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min as the world’s 51st most valuable player, significantly missing the mark on the Korean’s real worth. 

A CIES Football Observatory algorithm, based on certain variables, conjured up the quixotic valuations. Son, nestled between Real Madrid’s Frederico Valverde and Paris St. German’s Marquinhos Aoás, is said to be worth just over £65 million on the open market.

That’s at least £35 million and 30 places below Son’s actual worth. The 28-year-old is a goal off being the Premier League’s top scorer and contributes immeasurably more than that goal tally reflects. He is a top professional who never complains, works tirelessly for the cause and always puts his teammates first.

A consummate professional, Son’s value is almost unparalleled in world football. He offers and contributes nearly as much as Harry Kane, who ranks 19th on the list, yet another inadequate misrepresentation. 

The algorithm fails to take into consideration intangibles that often go under the radar, yet which contribute massively to a player’s worth. Son’s teammates will invariably attest to the South Korean’s worth at the club.

While age plays a major part in evaluating a player’s worth on the open market, Son is still only 28, and should have the best years of his career in front of him. He’s not a spring chicken like Mason Mount, 17th on the list, or Alphonso Davies, 8th on the list, but undoubtedly he deserves better.

Based on current output and value to a team, Son should definitely be ranked higher than Mount, whose incredible potential is still far from being met.

Son, who recently scored his 100th goal for Tottenham, was brought to the north London club from Bayer Leverkusen for a £22 million fee in 2015. One of Tottenham’s best transfers in the last 30 years, Son has at least quadrupled his worth on the open market since arriving at Tottenham.

So take CIES Football Observatory’s transfer valuations with a fine grain of salt, as the list makes as much sense as colouring a customary A4 piece of paper with a white crayon.