[스포츠조선 박찬준 기자]Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is being strongly linked to the Spanish Primera Liga.
This time it is Barcelona. On the 13th, Spain’s Catalonia Radio said, ‘Barcelona is considering the option of signing Son Heung-min as a free agent (FA) next summer.’ He continued, “There is nothing on the table yet, but coach Hansi Flick will view Son Heung-min’s recruitment positively.”
This is not the first time there have been rumors of Son Heung-min heading to Spain. Last month, there were rumors of a transfer to Atletico Madrid. Spain’s Fichares reported that ‘Atletico Madrid is interested in Son Heung-min.’ ‘Atlético was one of the busiest teams in last summer’s transfer market,’ said Pichares. Atletico, which brought in Julian Alvarez and others, is continuing to work to strengthen its squad. Among many names that come to mind, the player who stands out the most is Son Heung-min.
At the same time, he even presented specific circumstances showing that there had already been contact with non-official officials. ‘Contact has been made between Atletico and Son Heung-min’s agent,’ said Pichares. He said, “We had an informal conversation.” Pichaes finally said, “Son Heung-min is 32 years old, but he is still showing excellent skills at the highest level,” and “Above all, his contract period ends in 2025.” Son Heung-min has not been able to sign a contract extension with Tottenham so far. Son Heung-min is receiving interest from Saudi Arabia, but he wants to remain in Europe.’
Son Heung-min’s current position is a hot potato. Son Heung-min’s contract with Tottenham expires next summer. Initially, it was reported that Tottenham would propose a long-term contract renewal to Son Heung-min. There was constant talk of contract renewal around Christmas last year. As Son Heung-min also loves Tottenham, it seemed like his contract would be renewed easily. But the atmosphere has changed.
The Athletic said, ‘Son Heung-min is still essential to the team. Tottenham said they would activate the one-year contract extension option to keep him at the club until 2026. Another British media outlet, 90min, also said, ‘Tottenham is entering the final year of Son Heung-min’s contract. He said, “We will activate the option to extend this until 2026.” As the news of contract renewal was postponed, there was even talk that Fenerbahce, a prestigious club in Turkey, newly appointed by coach Jose Mourinho in the winter transfer market, wants Son Heung-min. Chairman Daniel Levy took action to resolve the matter, but there is still no news of Son Heung-min’s contract renewal. Son Heung-min attended a press conference ahead of the Europa League match against Karabakh FK and when asked about contract renewal, he said, “I haven’t said anything yet.” Son Heung-min’s contract with Tottenham expires next summer, and considering that there are about 9 months left on the contract, it is bound to be shocking news.
Son Heung-min is worthy of being Tottenham’s ‘Living Legend’. Son Heung-min left Leverkusen and joined Tottenham in the summer of 2015 for 30 million euros, the highest transfer fee ever for an Asian player at the time. Son Heung-min, who had some ups and downs in the 2015-2016 season, his first season, showed great performance from the following year, the 2016-2017 season. Son Heung-min, who formed the DESK line with Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Christian Eriksen, played a key role in Tottenham’s attack with his unique fast speed and powerful shooting. From the 2016-2017 season to last season, he recorded double-digit scores for eight consecutive seasons. Since the launch of the EPL in 1992, only seven players have scored 10 or more goals in eight consecutive seasons. In the 2021-2022 season, he scored 23 goals and became Asia’s first EPL scorer. He was a 100% pure scorer without scoring a single penalty kick. ‘Legend’ Lee Young-pyo went so far as to say, “This is an achievement comparable to humanity landing on the moon.”
Son Heung-min performed well last season as well. He reached the milestone of 17 goals and 10 assists, and succeeded in scoring 10 (goals) and 10 (assists). Son Heung-min, who was the first Asian player to achieve EPL 10-10 (11 goals-10 assists) in the 2019-2020 season, was ranked 10-10 for the third time following the 2020-2021 season (17 goals-10 assists). Son Heung-min has risen to the ranks of undisputed EPL legends. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Didier Drogba, Lampard, Cantona, Rooney, and Mohamed Salah. Squawka, a statistics company, praised the player, saying, “There are only six players, including Son Heung-min, who have scored 10 goals and 10 assists more than three times in the EPL in history,” and “Sonny (Son Heung-min) is on the list of legends.” Rooney scored 10-10 the most times with five, followed by Cantona and Lampard with four. Drogba and Salah recorded a total of three times.
Son Heung-min deserves to be called a legend in terms of consistency. Son Heung-min set a record of 400 appearances in an away game against West Ham on April 3. This is the 14th record in Tottenham club history and the first by a non-European player. It is one of the highest scores in history. Give Me Sports selected Son Heung-min as the best number 7 in Tottenham history and the best winger in history.
Recently, there seemed to be a trend toward a one-year extension. On the 10th (Korean time), Britain’s Football Transfer reported, ‘Tottenham has made a decision on Son Heung-min’s contract.’ He continued, ‘Tottenham is currently focusing on securing the future of captain Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min is the team’s best source of income, and his contract is valid until 2025. Son Heung-min has admitted there are no talks yet on a new contract, but it could be seen that Tottenham are looking to sign a one-year extension to keep him until 2026 and will offer this to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer. He said.
He also said he was looking for a new player. ’17-year-old prospect Mikey Moore is growing rapidly and receiving rave reviews, but Tottenham are looking for an experienced winger to compete with Son Heung-min. Chairman Daniel Levy’s use of contract extension clauses is a key strategy for squad stability, and this approach will likely keep fan favorite Son Heung-min as a central figure in the team for some time.’
A sports mall in the UK also made a similar report. On the 11th, ‘Son Heung-min is the last survivor among the players who previously represented Tottenham,’ and ‘Son Heung-min survived the old Tottenham. He shows no signs of resting at Tottenham, scoring 17 goals last season. Tottenham are said to be considering securing his future as a priority. Tottenham is preparing to extend Son Heung-min’s stay with the team by at least one year until June 2026.’
Tottenham’s attitude is bound to be even more disappointing for Son Heung-min, who has tried to remain as a club legend. Son Heung-min has shown strong affection for Tottenham. Son Heung-min recently attended a Tottenham fan forum event and was asked, “Are you planning on retiring from Tottenham?” Heung-min said, “You can’t imagine how happy I would be at Tottenham. But there will come a day when I leave this club.” “I want to see you all smile, and I want to see everyone talking about me as a legend.” In another interview, he said: “I still want to achieve something. It’s not for me to decide whether I will become a legend of this club. I won’t call myself a legend because I still want to win here. That’s why I’m committed right away. I’m a legend. “I think our future is bright with Coach Postekoglou and this club,” he said.
However, there is still a possibility of contract renewal. Reporter Alasdear Gold, a Tottenham reporter for Football London in England, recently conducted a Q&A with fans, and one fan asked reporter Gold, “Do you think Tottenham will soon offer Son Heung-min a new contract?” “There is an option to extend the contract until 2026, which means we have a little more time to work on,” said Gold. “I’m sure Son Heung-min also wants to win something to justify his title as a legend.”
As the contract renewal issue continues, Son Heung-min is steadily receiving interest from Saudi Arabia. Britain’s Hotspur HQ reported that ‘Tottenham superstar Son Heung-min has attracted Saudi Arabia’s interest.’ Hotspur HQ said, ‘Saudi Arabia is still considering recruiting Son Heung-min next summer. Son Heung-min is one of five high-profile players on Saudi clubs’ signing lists, and they have said they are looking to improve their recruitment. Saudi Arabia is trying to sign Son Heung-min for free, but Tottenham has the option to extend Son Heung-min’s contract until 2026. He said, “When Son Heung-min turns 33 next summer, Tottenham will have to make a decision if a great offer comes in from Saudi Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr, Al-Ittihad or Al-Ahli.”
He continued, ‘But even then, sales are bound to be crazy. Even though Son Heung-min is in his 30s, it is impossible to put a price on his love for the club and fans and his leadership. His performance has been consistently consistent. He scored 17 goals last season and is showing good form this season as well. Son Heung-min appears to be a player whose main motivation is not money. This is especially true considering the amount of money he earned over 14 years. But unprecedented tax breaks and living closer to his home country could tempt him.’
This is not the first time Saudi Arabia has shown interest. In June last year, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad showed interest in Son Heung-min. The transfer fee alone amounted to $65 million. The salary scale was also enormous. It was exciting news for Son Heung-min, who is nearing the end of his career. But I refused. After an international match against El Salvador in June, Son Heung-min said, “If I had wanted to go to Saudi Arabia, I wouldn’t be here now (laughter). I love soccer, money is important, but playing in the Premier League is a dream,” he said. Seongyong also dismissed the idea of going to Saudi Arabia, saying, “Money is not important to me right now.”
Not only Saudi Arabia, but also Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are known to be interested in Son Heung-min. For Barcelona, which is experiencing financial difficulties, Asian superstar Son Heung-min could be of great help. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the best card as it still has the skills and no transfer fee. The moment of choice is approaching as to what Son Heung-min will choose.
Reporter Chan-Jun Park vanbasten@sportschosun.com
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