Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min admits that speculation over a possible exit from the North London giants has left him “a little uncomfortable”.
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has affirmed that he wants to continue in the Premier League and has been left “uncomfortable” by talk of a possible exit from North London.
After being bestowed with the captain’s armband upon Ange Postecoglou‘s arrival, the 31-year-old thrived in the 2023-24 campaign with 17 goals and 10 assists in 35 Premier League matches.
Son’s stellar tally in 2023-24 represented a marked improvement from his 2022-23 season, where he still managed 10 goals and six assists in the top flight, but the consensus was that he had not lived up to his lofty heights.
The South Korea international’s contributions in the most recent campaign were not enough to propel Tottenham back into the Champions League either, as Postecoglou’s men instead settled for Europa League qualification with a fifth-placed ranking.
However, Son could become a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season, as his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – which he last extended in 2021 – now has a little over 12 months left to run.
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Son “a little uncomfortable” with exit speculation
Jose Mourinho, now in charge of Fenerbahce, is supposedly keen to reunite with his former Tottenham colleague in Turkey, although Tottenham can trigger a one-year extension in Son’s deal until 2026.
Speaking to the press after captaining South Korea to a 1-0 World Cup 2026 qualifying win over China on Tuesday, Son insisted that he was not looking to leave the Lilywhites any time soon and admitted that the persistent speculation made him feel a little uneasy.
“I have not had any exchanges with the club. I don’t have anything to say at this point. I feel a little uncomfortable with the situation,” the Evening Standard quotes the 31-year-old as saying.
“I am going to keep doing my best for Tottenham. I still have terms left on my contract. Money is not important to me. The most important thing is to play in a league that I enjoy playing in. I have so much more I want to accomplish in the Premier League.”
Tottenham shelled out £25.3m to bring Son to the club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, since when he has contributed 162 goals and 84 assists in 408 matches, albeit without winning a major trophy.
Does it make sense for Tottenham to sell Son?
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Soon to celebrate his 32nd birthday on July 8, Son’s resale value will not exactly skyrocket over the coming months, and the upcoming window could therefore represent Spurs’ best chance to recoup a respectable fee.
Should the ex-Leverkusen man perform a surprise U-turn and decide that his Tottenham career had run its course, a sale would certainly be the best course of action, but that is a highly unrealistic scenario.
On the field, Son was as sharp as ever in the Tottenham attack in 2023-24 – whether he was operating through the middle or on the left wing – and Spurs are already set to part ways with a couple of attackers this summer.
The Lilywhites are thought to be open to appropriate bids for main striker Richarlison, while Bryan Gil has failed to make the grade in North London under several managers and could return to Spain permanently.
Tottenham could react to both exits by signing a new striker and winger – Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze is a prime target – but there is still a space in Tottenham’s ranks for Son for at least one more year.