Участник:Eave a contract with Tottenham
Son Heung-min Tottenham, a leading striker representing Korean soccer, did not hide his discomfort over the recent series of speculative reports about his future from the European side.
Son Heung-min said, "I have nothing to tell you yet" when asked about his future in the joint coverage zone after completing the 6th Group C match against China Korea won 1-0 in the second round of Asian qualifiers Canada, Mexico, and the United States at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 11th.
"There is no exact story that comes and goes, but I think it was misinterpreted. It is a bit uncomfortable," he said. "I am doing my best for Tottenham England, and I will continue to do so. I still have a contract period left."
Son Heung-min, who entered the Premier League through Tottenham in Bayer Leverkusen, Germany, in the summer of 2015, initially signed a five-year contract.
In his first season in office, he struggled in the position competition with Argentina's Young Gun Erik Lamela and went to Wolfsburg, Germany, in the summer of 2016, but changing his mind and deciding to challenge was the driving force behind Son Heung-min.
In the summer of 2018, Son broke the existing contract and signed a new five-year contract through June 2023. His salary has increased dramatically. In the summer of 2021, he abolished the existing contract and raised his salary again to 18 billion won estimated, signing his third four-year contract with Tottenham set until the summer of 2025.
However, the contract reportedly has an option to extend the contract period by one year until 2026.
As a result, British media or transfer market experts are focusing on coverage of Son's contract this summer. If Tottenham does not exercise the option of extending one year with Son's contract this summer, or if it does not sign a new multi-year contract with Son, Son will end his contract with Tottenham next summer and become a free agent without transfer fees.
Son Heung-min scored 17 goals and 10 assists in the 2023-2024 season, promoting his health at the age of 32, and becoming a symbol of Tottenham as captain, local interest is even hotter.
In particular, "The Athletic," which is known to have a high hit rate as a global sports media, predicted that Son Heung-min will wear Tottenham's uniform by 2026 with an article titled "Ripping the Tottenham squad" at the end of last month.
It is predicted that the club will not sign a new contract, but will continue to accompany Son Heung-min by utilizing the existing contract provisions.
On top of that, during the 2023-2024 season, some local media consistently raised observations that Tottenham could sign a new long-term contract with Son Heung-min.
British mass media including The Sun are releasing completely different reports. There is also a scenario in which Jose Mourinho, a Portuguese coach who once played for Tottenham from 2019 to 2021, could move to Fenerbahce, a prestigious Turkiye club where Son took the helm.
Turkiye's media also raised a scenario for Lee Kang-in's team to transfer to Paris Saint-Germain PSG, France's most prestigious club.
Going back a year ago, even at the end of the 2022-2023 season last year, rumors of Son's transfer were raised. Back then, some claimed that Son could play for Al-Ithad, one of the most prestigious clubs in Saudi Arabia. ESPN reported that Son was offered a contract worth 30 million euros 44.5 billion won every season for four years.
However, the possibility of transfer to Fenerbahce or another club became unrealistic right now as Son Heung-min expressed his discomfort with the contract after the match against China and expressed his willingness to commit more to Tottenham.
Son Heung-min also said, "I want to contribute something to Tottenham." It seems to suggest that Son Heung-min, who has not won trophies in various official tournaments as well as the Premier League for almost 10 years, wants to win the championship with Tottenham despite his position as a "living legend" in the Premier League.
However, there are many opinions that Tottenham should treat Son Heung-min, a global brand that promotes Tottenham, more than a player, in order to keep Son Heung-min alive.
Son Heung-min's current salary of 18 billion won is a huge amount, but he is ranked 31st in the Premier League's annual salary list. In total, Manchester City's assist machine Kevin De Bruyne tops the list of Premier League salaries with 35 billion won. Erling Holan Manchester City and Mohamed Salah Riverpool 31 billion won, while Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, who were on the list or already released due to their lackluster performance at Manchester United this season, also received more than 20 billion won.