While in Seoul for preseason matches this week, Tottenham Hotspur took care of another piece of business Sunday by announcing their signing of an 18-year-old South Korean forward Yang Min-hyeok.

Yang is the youngest South Korean ever to sign for a Premier League club. He will join Spurs in January next year, after completing the current South Korean season for Gangwon FC.

Spurs are in town to play Team K League, a squad made up of All-Stars selected by fans and coaches, on Wednesday, followed by Bayern Munich on Saturday — both at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

At a prematch presser Tuesday, Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou said Yang is “a very exciting player.”

“We’re delighted to have him as part of the club. He’s someone who was identified by our scouting department and he’s shown great promise,” the coach said of the forward who has netted eight goals and collected four assists in 25 matches this K League 1 season while still in high school. “We’re always looking to the future as well as the present. He’
s a very exciting player.”

Spurs already employ a high-profile South Korean player in Son Heung-min, who has been the North London club’s captain since last year.

Son said he had a brief chat with Yang in Seoul earlier in the week.

“I told him he has to prepare for a lot of things before coming over to England,” Son said. “But most importantly, I told him to try to stay healthy because he’s in good form and he’s been playing really well.”

Postecoglou, who has coached Asian players in his previous club stops in Japan and in Scotland, said he has “always had a positive outlook on Asian football.”

“I’ve always thought there was a lot of talent here. The league is strong,” the Greek-born Australian said. “When you leave your home country, going from Asia to Europe, it’s a big challenge from the cultural and lifestyle perspective. You need to have a strong mentality. Players on this side of the world prepare themselves for that. They understand it’s going to be different culturally and they’re prepared to acc
ept that.”

Postecoglou said his club received “a fantastic welcome” from South Korean football fans and he got to see firsthand how popular Son is in his native land.

“It goes beyond just what a player he is. It’s what kind of a person he is,” the coach said. “We know how popular Sonny is and the love and admiration they have for him. It’s a privilege for us to be able to share that with him.”

Son, widely considered one of the greatest South Korean football players of all time, was asked if he would consider finishing his career in the K League. He made his professional debut as a teenager in Germany before moving over to England, and has never played for a Korean club.

The 32-year-old said while he follows the K League as much as he can from afar, he still feels he has a lot more to give in the Premier League.

“In football, you never know. I can’t give you an answer right now. I just want to focus on where I am right now,” he said. “I have a lot of things to do in the Premier League. I want to be a bett
er player as much as possible. Let’s see what happens.”

Now as one of the senior players for Spurs, Son quipped that seeing younger teammates coming up from the youth squads makes him feel old. But he was also proud of seeing youngsters, knowing how much work they must have put in to reach the Premier League.

And Son said being older doesn’t mean he can afford to stop learning.

“Now that I’ve been doing this for a long time, every season feels precious,” Son said. “I am learning a great deal under the coach, and I will continue to do so. I will give this club my heart and soul. I am prepared to do anything that can help me grow.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency