Yang Min-hyeok will arrive at Tottenham a month earlier than his scheduled January transfer.
Spurs agreed a record £3.3million deal in the Korean K-League for the 18-year-old Gangwon winger in the summer.
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Yang was expected to stay in Gangwon for the first half of the campaign ahead of the planned Jan. 1 move, but those plans have changed.
According to football.london, the South Korean will arrive earlier than originally planned to give him time to adapt to the north London club rather than being thrown straight into the action.
Since confirming his move to the Premier League, Yang has scored an impressive 11 goals and provided six assists in 37 league games.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, who previously managed Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos, would have kept an eye on Yang’s performances for Gangwon, where the versatile star was deployed on both wings.
After signing for Tottenham, Yang told reporters: “First of all, it is an honor to join such a big club. I will do my best to do my best. I don’t think I’m that young. And I’m pursuing my dream.” . It’s a big challenge, I think I can show and prove my talent.
“Joining a big club like Spurs means the club recognizes my abilities. I believe that if I do my best and work hard, I will automatically improve a lot.”
His eye-catching performances earned him a single call-up to the South Korean squad alongside future Spurs teammate Heung-min Son, but did not make it to the final squad.
And it appears the Spurs captain has already given the youngster a nickname ahead of the January move.
A viral clip from September showed Son putting an arm around Yang and referring to him as “Tottenham.”
After announcing Yang’s arrival in July, Son said: “He’s great. He is doing a fantastic job in his first season in the K-League.”
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“I saw him for the first time yesterday, he was very shy. Obviously he’s still very young, he hasn’t finished high school yet. How crazy is that? It feels like I’m getting old.
“I told him he should also practice his English a bit so he has time to practice. Yes I’m excited, great talent so I’m looking forward to seeing him in a Spurs jersey.”
Postecoglou said after Spurs completed the deal: “We are delighted to have him as part of the club, someone our scouting department has identified.”
“A young, talented player and we always look not only to the present but also to the future. He has shown great potential and we look forward to having him as part of the club once he has completed his commitments with the club.”
Yang is one of the best players in the K-League this season and has won the Player of the Month and Young Player of the Month awards five times, including four consecutive times between April and July.
He already had the opportunity to demonstrate his skills to his new Tottenham teammates at a friendly match in Seoul in July.
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Postecoglou is likely to resist the urge to bring Yang into the game despite Tottenham’s current injury problems.
Wilson Odobert and Richarlison remain out with hamstring injuries and starlet Mikey Moore is recovering from a viral illness.
Son and Timo Werner have now returned after suffering muscle injuries in recent weeks.