Spurs Legend Son Confirms Departure For ‘New Challenge’

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min says he will leave the club this summer after 10 years.

The South Korea international joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and has scored 173 goals in 454 appearances.

He was captain when Tottenham beat Manchester United in the Europa League final in May to clinch their first trophy in 17 years.

The 33-year-old, who is under contract with Spurs until 2026, is in advanced negotiations with Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC.

Son described the decision as “the most difficult one I have made in my career” as he spoke to media alongside new manager Thomas Frank.

“I came to north London as a kid – a very young age, a young boy came to London who even didn’t speak English,” Son said.

“Leaving this club as a grown man is a very, very proud moment.”

Tottenham are in Seoul as part of their pre-season preparations, with Son set to start and skipper the side against Newcastle in their friendly on Sunday – meaning his final appearance for the club could come in his home country.

Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou as head coach in June, described Son as “a true Spurs legend” and “one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League”.

“If that is the last game for Sonny, what a place to do it here in front of his home fans,” Frank said.

“It could be a beautiful ending.”

Tottenham also face Paris St-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup on 13 August, but Son may depart by then.

‘I need new environment to push myself’
Son said winning a title in Europe with Spurs “felt like I had achieved everything I possibly could”.

He made his Tottenham debut in September 2015 and went on to make 333 Premier League appearances.

He scored 127 times in the league – level with former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at 16th in the league’s all-time scorers list, above the likes of Dwight Yorke, Steven Gerrard and Ian Wright.

Son formed a memorable attacking partnership with Harry Kane, now at Bayern Munich, and the pair hold the record for the most goal combinations in the Premier League.

The pair registered a record 47 combinations, Son scoring 24 goals to Kane’s 23. In a prolific two-season period – 2020-21 and 2021-22 – they linked up 21 times for goals.

Son became the first Asian player to win the Premier League golden boot, sharing the title with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah with 23 goals in the 2021-22 season, and a year later was the first from the continent to reach 100 Premier League goals.

He featured in the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019 – which the Reds won 2-0 – and took over as club captain from Hugo Lloris in August 2023.

“I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change – 10 years is a long time,” Son added.

“I spent a lot of time reflecting on whether I wanted to experience football in a different environment, and I had those conversations with myself over and over again.”

Son also provided 101 assists in all competitions and holds Spurs’ record for Premier League assists with 71.

He has also made the sixth-most appearances in the history of the club – behind only Cyril Knowles, Pat Jennings, Gary Mabbutt, Steve Perryman and Glenn Hoddle.

Bbc.com