‘Son Heung-min Tottenham exit impossible’ as new contract details emerge
Son Heung-min’s future continues to dominate the discourse around Tottenham.
The Spurs icon is reportedly open to a new challenge this summer after perfectly capping off almost a decade of service in North London with a richly-deserved trophy.
Nevertheless, the captain returned to Hotspur Way after an extended break this summer to take part in pre-season and featured in Tottenham’s 2-0 victory against Reading (19 July).
The Lilywhites will next face Luton at Kenilworth Road before embarking on a preseason tour in Asia, with Son expected to travel with the squad.
Tottenham would miss out on majority of tour revenue without Son
The atmosphere around Tottenham suggests that Son will likely depart this summer, as evidenced by Thomas Frank’s indecision in naming a captain at this stage of his tenure.
However, the 33-year-old’s popularity in Asia was a significant factor in Spurs’ ability to organise fixtures in both Hong Kong and South Korea for their pre-season tour.
As such, Son is expected to feature. If the South Korean was not part of the touring squad, Tottenham would miss out on as much as 75 per cent of the revenue from playing in Seoul, as reported by The Telegraph (21 July).
The fee would be halved if Son were to travel but not take part in the game against Newcastle (3 August).
Therefore, Son is expected to travel and feature, with this ‘key player clause’ leading sources to believe “that it was virtually impossible for Tottenham to even consider selling Son before the tour to Asia and the game in South Korea.”
It may further estrange the Tottenham captain, as he may feel he is being temporarily kept purely for financial reasons, and threatens to sour an otherwise perfect story thus far.
Son’s departure would open the door to others at Spurs
The departure of Son would be met with understandable sadness by many associated with Spurs, but could open the door for others to shine in N17.
Mathys Tel will feel he is the favourite to lock down the left forward position, but he will have stiff competition from Wilson Odobert, who has yet to get his career going in North London.
Mikey Moore will also hope to continue gaining more minutes under his belt, while the future of Yang Min-hyeok remains to be decided.
The fact that all of Son’s potential heirs are under 21 years of age points to a promising future at Spurs.
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