(Xports News Reporter Kim Hyun-ki) In the end, Daniel Levy, the one person who moves Tottenham, must make a decision.
With one year left on Son Heung-min’s contract with his current team, Tottenham, reports and observations are pouring in about his future.
Most media outlets agree that Tottenham will activate the one-year extension option attached to Son Heung-min’s current contract, extending his contract period until June 2026.
The problem starts after that. If Son Heung-min’s contract period is pushed back by two years, a transfer fee will be incurred when he moves next summer, so we will listen to the story of a club that proposes an appropriate transfer fee, and if such a club does not appear, Son Heung-min will become a free agent at the age of 34 in June 2026. There is analysis that they will break up.
On the other hand, there are predictions that Tottenham will first extend Son Heung-min’s contract period to provide safety measures and then re-enter multi-year contract negotiations.
From January next year, Son Heung-min can freely negotiate with other clubs based on the Bosman Rule. Therefore, it is a priority for Tottenham to extend his contract period by activating the extension option before December 31 of this year.
Different media outlets and experts have different opinions regarding Son Heung-min’s actions after the option was activated.
British media ‘TBR Football’ claims that Tottenham has already informed Son Heung-min that it has no intention of renewing his contract after 2026.
The media reported on the 6th, “Tottenham has currently told Son Heung-min that there are no plans to negotiate a potential new contract with the Korean winger,” and added, “The camp of the player who serves as Tottenham captain is negotiating a new contract well, and the club has made this decision. “It is reported that he was shocked.”
Tottenham added new information that it would not renew Son Heung-min’s contract after activating the option to extend his current contract for another year, causing a deep reaction among Tottenham fans. It is also noticeable that Son Heung-min’s side was shocked by Tottenham’s behavior.
On the other hand, the British daily Telegraph is somewhat more flexible.
The newspaper said, “Tottenham will soon activate the option to extend Son Heung-min’s one-year contract,” and “Tottenham signed the last contract with Son Heung-min in July 2021, and the club has the option to extend the contract for one more year. “It is known that he possesses it,” he said.
This option is activated upon unilateral notification from the Tottenham club. You may be reluctant to hear the word ‘one-sided’, but it is known that quite a few players have the option to extend their contract period by an additional year depending on whether the club revitalizes them or not.
Former French international Olivier Giroud, who transferred from Chelsea to Italy’s AC Milan in 2021, also incurred a transfer fee as Chelsea activated the one-year extension option right before his transfer to AC Milan, extending Giroud’s contract period by another year.
The Telegraph said, “Tottenham only needs to inform Son Heung-min that he is exercising his contract extension option. Both Tottenham and Son Heung-min are agreeing to activate the option,” adding, “If the option is exercised, Son Heung-min will be with Tottenham for more than 10 years.” “The recruitment of Son Heung-min is considered the greatest achievement in the history of Tottenham’s transfer market.”
The fact that Tottenham extended his contract by another year is a hint that his achievements are being well received.
Son Heung-min signed a five-year contract with Tottenham for a transfer fee of 22 million pounds (about 39.3 billion won) from Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga in August 2015. Afterwards, the contract was rewritten two more times. In July 2021, a new four-year contract was signed with an annual salary of 18 billion won (estimated), and this is a contract that includes a controversial option.
Son Heung-min is considered the greatest signing in Tottenham history. This is because the striker who was brought in 10 years ago for ‘only’ 40 billion won showed such explosive power that he ranked in the top 20 in Premier League scoring totals and was named Premier League ‘Player of the Month’ four times.
The marketing effect was even greater, and since 2017, when Tottenham moved to Wembley’s temporary home stadium, a significant number of Koreans and Asians have filled every home game. Through two tours of Korea in 2022 and this year, it has become the most famous club in East Asia.
Son Heung-min showed his health last season by scoring 17 goals and providing 10 assists, but Tottenham is bound by Son Heung-min’s physical age of 32 and is suddenly bouncing the abacus.
Ultimately, it is pointed out that a decision is needed from CEO Daniel Levy, who has managed Tottenham for nearly 25 years in the 21st century.
Son Heung-min has recently suffered from a thigh injury due to fatigue from overuse, but he is taking good care of himself to the point where he can display explosive power once he completes rehabilitation.
It is expected that over the next three years, it will have an effect that goes beyond the annual salary in terms of performance and marketing. Although his speed may be somewhat reduced, Son Heung-min has been showing excellent aptitude for penetrating passes to teammates in the second line since last season, so-called chance making. It means opening new eyes to soccer.
Forbes, a leading American economic media outlet, also highly evaluated Son Heung-min’s past 10 years, saying, “Tottenham owes a lot to Son Heung-min. Will they extend his contract?” Now it is Tottenham’s turn to answer.
Photo = Yonhap News / Tottenham SNS / Xports News DB
Reporter Kim Hyun-ki spitfire@xportsnews.com
