Son set for emotional goodbye v Newcastle as Tottenham star speaks out
Son Heung-min is set for a final farewell on Sunday when Tottenham play Newcastle United in Seoul.
The winger arrived from Bayer Leverkusen as an exciting but inexperienced 23-year-old in 2015, and the South Korean has become synonymous with the Lilywhites in the years since.
Son has now announced he will be leaving Tottenham, with MLS side Los Angeles FC pushing hard to secure his signature.
Son’s departure would force Tottenham to spring into action in the coming weeks of the transfer window, with Thomas Frank likely keen to replace the 33-year-old’s impact last season.
Son explains exit decision
Son has been consistently excellent for Tottenham for the last nine Premier League seasons.
Last season’s seven goals marked the first season since his first, the 2015/16 season, that Son failed to score less than 10 goals in the league.
Even still, the South Korean provided 10 assists in just 30 appearances in what was a season of fluctuating form under Ange Postecoglou.
This summer has often felt like the right time for Son to leave Spurs, with the clock on his career starting to tick and his chances for a final big career contract decreasing by the year.
| Son Heung-min | Tottenham |
| Appearances | 454 |
| Goals | 173 |
| Assists | 101 |
The winger spoke to the media on Saturday (2 August) to confirm his intention to leave Spurs, in what was an emotional moment.
He said, “I just want to share the information that I have decided to leave this club this summer. Respectfully, this club is helping me to make my decision.
“It was so hard to make the decision. I just felt like I needed a new environment to push myself to get more out of me. I think I needed a little bit of change. 10 years is a long time.”
How will Tottenham replace Son?
Replacing Son will not just be a case of replacing his goals and assists on the pitch. The forward holds a massive presence in North London, both as a leader and as the player Spurs look to when needing a goal.
It will be hard to replace that impact with just one player, and Frank may instead look to replace the South Korean with several.
Mohammed Kudus has already shown his ability to make an impact in North London since his £55million move from West Ham, and PSG forward Randal Kolo Muani has also been mooted as a possible new arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Adapting without the presence of Son is likely to be Frank’s first big test as the Spurs head coach, with the Dane set to be the first man in the dugout since Tim Sherwood not to enjoy the benefit of the winger’s quality.
Sign up for the daily Tottenham News newsletter on Substack and our new WhatsApp channel to have all the latest, breaking Tottenham Hotspur news sent straight to your phone.