Tottenham interested in “Monster” Korean CB: Things to know about him

Bengaluru, June 30: Since the resumption of the league Jose Mourinho has fielded two young defenders Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier in the Tottenham backline with 31-year-old Toby Alderweireld sitting on the bench.

The Lillywhites also have two more options to choose from the side with Juan Foyth and Jan Vertonghen. But apparently Mourinho is not happy with the young Argentine defender while Vertonghen is almost sure to leave the side in Summer as a free agent.

At such moment, signing a defender is unquestionably becoming a priority for the Portuguese manager. However, there are rumours that the Chairmain Daniel Levy would not hand Mourinho a big-budget due to effects of the pandemic. Hence, the London based side is now looking for potential and cheap options from the market.

As per the latest report, the latest name that has been linked with them is now South Korea's promising defender Kim Min-Jae who is playing Chinese league with Beijing Sinobo Guoan.

The 23-year-old is certainly an unknown name to the European circuit. So here are a couple of things you need to know about the defender:

Career so far

Kim started his football career with Gyeongju KHNP a third-tier side of Korean. But his brilliance was quickly caught by top tier side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors just six months later.

He won the league in 2017 and 2018 and was named in the division’s team of the season on both occasions. It made the Chinese League side came calling for him in 2019 and he signed for the side in January 2019 for £4.5m where he has continued to develop.

Player Profile

Standing at six foot two inches, the South Korean defender has been a real rock at the back for Sinobo Guoan. The young defender is willing and able to bring in the ball out of the back while also has some quick feet. He is equally good in the air plus has an immense passing range with a good reading of the game. The young defender could be a perfect addition to Mourinho's side who has always liked to have defenders like him who have a strong presence in the box.

A regular in the international circuit

Despite being just 23, Kim already has 30 senior caps for South Korea to his name. He was a member of the Under-23 squad that won the Asian Games recently. His tally would have been much higher had he not missed the 2018 World Cup because of injury

A controversial figure

Kim Min-Jae has involved in controversies many times during his football career mostly due to striking comments.

Earlier in May he heavily criticised one of his club team-mates for poor performance on the pitch. While he also later made a bold comment about Chinese league, claiming the league would be nothing without foreign players. Beijing Sinobo Guoan have been unhappy with the player's behaviour hence, may look to sell him in the Summer. Kim has only a contract with the side till 2021.

Clubs linked

Apart from Spurs a whole lot of European powerhouses are also believed to be chasing the young defender. The 23-year-old is being monitored by the likes of Leipzig, Lazio, Porto, Eindhoven, Southampton and Inter Milan as well.

Hence, it will be interesting to see if Spurs can secure his services this summer. However, him being an international team-mate of Spurs star Son Heung-Min, he could play a big role in establishing the defender to join the Premier League club outfit.