Tottenham Hotspur fans have been rocked by the news that their captain is departing after 10 years.
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Son Heung-min is leaving Spurs as LAFC, MLS circle: How did it all come to this?
Tottenham Hotspur fans have been rocked by the news that their captain, Son Heung-min,
has asked to leave this summer and is keen on a move MLS club Los Angeles FC.
Spurs are currently on a pre-season tour in East Asia and face Newcastle United in a friendly in Son’s home country, South Korea, on Sunday. There will surely be some hugely emotional scenes at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in what could now be the South Korea captain’s final game for Tottenham. At a press conference on Saturday morning local time, new manager Thomas Frank confirmed that the forward will start and captain the side.
Son joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015 for £22million ($29m at current rates),and he has scored 173 goals in 454 competitive matches across a 10-year spell. The 33-year-old’s imminent departure marks the end of an era. He has been one of Spurs’ and the Premier League’s most consistent performers over the past decade, and the London club’s figurehead since Harry Kane left in 2023.
Son’s status as a club legend was secured after he helped them win the Europa League and end their 17-year trophy drought in May, but it will still feel bittersweet when he says goodbye.
Why does Son want to leave now?
After Frank was announced as Ange Postecoglou’s successor as Spurs manager in June, he spoke to senior members of Tottenham’s squad, including Son, who informed Frank that he wanted to leave. None of the other players expressed a desire to depart.
There have been signs over the past 12 months that Son’s time in north London might be coming to an end. He had entered the final six months of his contract at the start of the year, before Spurs exercised their option to extend by 12 months. It only temporarily quelled the questions around his future. By not signing a long-term deal, the door was left open for a potential departure, not least as Son was not the team’s talisman in the way he had been the previous season.
Tottenham are stocked with left-wing options and Son’s performances over the past 12 months mean he is no longer a guaranteed first choice. He only scored seven league goals last season, the first time he failed to hit double figures since the 2015-16 campaign.
At the end of the winter transfer window, Spurs signed Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich with an option to buy for €55m (£48m; $63.5m). Tel’s performances were inconsistent, but Spurs renegotiated with Bayern and signed the France Under-21 international permanently for €35m this summer.
Tel operated as a centre-forward for Bayern but primarily played on the left wing for Spurs under Postecoglou. Last year, they signed Wilson Odobert from Burnley and he can play on both flanks. Mikey Moore has joined Rangers on a season-long loan, and Spurs have high hopes for the 17-year-old academy graduate having a big future at the club in the longer term.
What did Son say at his press conference?
Son started the press conference by making a statement. He looked visibly emotional as he spoke in Korean and paused multiple times. He revealed that he had only spoken to a few close team-mates, including Ben Davies, about his next steps. He did not want to directly comment on what team he could potentially be joining but said he wanted to play regularly ahead of next summer’s World Cup, which is being held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“Before we start, I just want to share the information that I have decided to leave this club this summer,” he said. “Respectfully, this club is helping me to make my decision. It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. The main reason is I have achieved everything I can at Tottenham. I need a new environment for a fresh challenge.
“I have been here for 10 years. It’s a beautiful club with beautiful fans. I have such amazing memories. I just felt like I need a new environment to push myself to get more out of me. I think I need a little bit of change. Ten years is a long time.
“I came to north London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age. A boy who couldn’t speak English. I leave this club as a man. Thank you to all the Spurs fans who have given me so much love. It felt like it was my home. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made. I think it is the right time to leave. I hope that everyone understands that and respects that.”
