Tottenham Hotspur believe they were ‘wrong’ not to bring Kim Min-Jae to the Premier League with Heung-Min Son’s fellow South Korea international now top of the Serie A table with Napoli, according to 90Min.
With Kvicha Kvaratskhelia continuing his remarkable emergence at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – justifying his ‘Kvaradona’ nickname with every breath-taking burst of furious acceleration – the impact made by his fellow summer signing continues to fly somewhat under the radar.
It’s fair to say Napoli supporters were not exactly thrilled about the sale of long-serving Kalidou Koulibaly over the summer. Kim’s outstanding form at the heart of Luciano Spaletti’s table-topping backline has turned those frowns into smiles, however; the £16 million arrival from Fenerbahce establishing himself as perhaps the most rock-solid centre-back in the whole of Serie A.
“We all had doubts about Kim after the talisman (Koulibaly) left,” says Inter Milan legend Beppe Bergomi. “(But) he never makes mistakes.
“Maybe, in the build-up, he is less strong than Koulibaly. But, defensively, he is more careful. And that, for a defender, is very important.”
Tottenham Hotspur now wish they had signed Napoli’s Kim Min-Jae
To think, Kim could have ended up at Tottenham for a fraction of that £16 million price-tag, had the London giants followed Son’s advice and signed the South Korea international to from Beijing Guoan in 2020. Son, 90Min say, was glowing in his praise of Kim when quizzed about his compatriot by the club’s bosses.
Tottenham were allegedly reluctant to spend over £10 million on a player unproven on European soil, however. A decision Spurs now believe, albeit internally, was the ‘wrong’ one. Hindsight, as they say, really is a wonderful thing.
“(Former Tottenham boss) Jose Mourinho wanted Kim Min-Jae a year ago,” Fenerbahce president Ali Koc revealed a couple of months ago. “But they did not pay the 14 million euros.”
Interestingly, Everton made the same mistake. They too had reservations about paying an eight-figure sum for a footballer still plying his trade in the Chinese Super League.
“I followed (Kim) at Everton three years ago,” recalls former Toffees scout Carlo Jacomuzzi. “We had a good opinion of the boy. But it seemed too big a leap for him to move from Asia to Europe.
“Now, having had the experience in Turkey, I think he is ready for Serie A. The Turkish championship is tough and competitive anyway.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
