Why new Tottenham signing will arrive before January transfer window after sweeping awards

Yang Min-hyeok is expected to arrive at Tottenham next month ahead of his January transfer, although football.london understands the South Korean teenager will be given plenty of time to adapt rather than be rushed into Ange Postecoglou's plans.

Spurs agreed a summer deal for the 18-year-old Gangwon winger, which has been said to be a record transfer for a player from K-League, with Korean reports estimating it to be around £3.3million (€4million), with the plan that Yang would see out his league season in his homeland and arrive ahead of his January 1 joining date in order to settle in his new country.

The teenager has continued to impress for his club, with 11 goals and six assists in 37 K League matches while playing on either the left or right wing. He has been called up this season on one occasion to the senior South Korea squad after joining Tottenham, alongside his future Spurs team-mate and captain Son Heung-min, but has not made the most recent two squads and instead has been playing for his country's Under-17s.

READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou can finally unleash Tottenham favourite with huge role change

READ MORE: £40m move, transfer option, wildcard pick: How Postecoglou can fix Tottenham's Bentancur problem

Gangwon sit third in the K League table with Yang high up in both the goalscorer and assist charts in the competition. He has won the K League Player of the Month award this season and also the Young Player of the Month five times, with four of those in a row from April to July. He impressed against Spurs in a friendly match in Seoul in July with his direct dribbling, not long after signing for the north London side.

The K League season is coming to a close later this month, after the international break, and the expectation has always been that the teenager would have a couple of weeks off to rest before arriving at Spurs next month to start adjusting to life in England and his work permit sought ahead of his January 1 official start date.

Tottenham do currently have winger problems - a month and a half ahead of Yang's move - with Wilson Odobert and Richarlison out with hamstring injuries, while Mikey Moore is getting over the effects of a virus and Son Heung-min and Timo Werner have both had muscle issues in recent weeks which they have only just returned from.

However, football.london understands that Yang will be carefully introduced to life at Tottenham and in the Premier League as he arrives in a new club, league, country and culture rather than be thrown immediately into Postecoglou's matchday squads in January, with the plan always for him to arrive in December ahead of his move.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the 18-year-old is coming to the end of what has been his first season in senior football, one that began all the way back in March and he will have played more than 3,000 minutes of football by the time it ends. To then jump almost straight into a half-season of Premier League football with its pace and power is going to be a big ask physically.

Spurs signed two other 18-year-olds in the summer and Postecoglou has been careful with Archie Gray despite his English football experience and Lucas Bergvall, despite his exposure to European football. The same is expected to be the case with Yang and he will likely first just train with the squad when able to do so in January and acclimatise to a very different kind of football.

There's a chance of course that the teenager could adapt quickly but it is expected that he will take some time to adjust to the physical demands of the English game and the speed of it and Tottenham will be wary of any injury risk after a long season in Korea. Hamstring injuries have dogged the Spurs squad as they've adjusted to Postecoglou's high-energy training sessions and demands in matches.

Yang will at least have the perfect mentor in the shape of his captain Son. The Spurs captain said of the teenager back in the summer: "He is amazing. He is doing a fantastic job in his first season in K-League. I saw him yesterday for the first time, he was being very shy. Obviously, he’s very young, he hasn’t finished his high school yet. How crazy is that? It feels like I’m getting old.

"I told him to practice a little bit his English as well so he has time to practice. Yeah, looking forward, amazing talent, so looking forward to seeing him in a Spurs kit."

"We're delighted to have him as part of the club, somebody who was identified by our scouting department," said Postecoglou after Yang joined. "A young talented player and we're looking always to not just for the present but for the future. He's shown great promise and we're looking forward to having him as part of the club, once he's finished his commitments with his club."

Yang himself said after joining: "First of all, joining such a big club is an honour. I will try my best to show my best. I don’t think that I am that young. And I am chasing my dream. It is a big challenge, I believe I can show and prove my talent. Joining a big club like Spurs means that the Club acknowledges my abilities. I believe that if I do my best and work hard, I will automatically improve a lot.

"When I move [to London], adapting will be important. There is Sonny, this will be a big help for my adapting process since we are both Korean. Sonny is captain of Korea, I would say he had a big influence on my decision."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link. If you're curious you can check out our privacy policy here.