Barcelona are reportedly eyeing up a free summer move for Son Heung-min.
The Blaugrana are far from the only side whose name has been linked with the Spurs and South Korea forward, who remains in the final year of his contract amid protracted negotiations with the Lilyhites.
Turkish side Fenerbahçe, currently under the command of one of Son’s former managers, José Mourinho, are also linked with the 32-year-old. Their local rivals Galatasaray were even linked with a sensational January move for him not too long ago.
Son has been one of Spurs’ best-ever players ever since arriving at Hotspur Way from Bayer Leverkusen. This summer will mark a decade of him being in North London, and while he is firmly set to go down in history as one of the Premier League’s most exciting players of all time, there is a reason while uncertainty surrounds him despite an illustrious record.
Under Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham remain a topsy-turvy side. Their fans would have hoped for more consistency after the lack of it effectively cost them Champions League football last season, but results have been even more fluctuating this time round.
As things stand, Tottenham are eleven points off fifth (which almost certainly will be enough to get Champions League football for next season), 12th in the league, coming off a fresh blow dealt to them by the fifth-placed Newcastle. More crucially, they are eight points off the drop zone. It would be outlandish to call them relegation contenders, of course, despite this being a “you never know” sport, but this illustrates how far they are from where they want to be.
The same can also be said for Son Heung-min. He was on the bench for the Newcastle United defeat, Postecoglou having blamed fixture congestion for it, but in truth his performances have hardly warranted him a starting berth this season. Some late salvaging performances in recent weeks have increased the acceptability of Son’s numbers this season, as they stand at seven goals and six assists in 23 games across all competitions, but they remain far from decent numbers from someone who has in the past decade established himself as one of the most prolific forwards in England.
Now, he may be able to make up the numbers before May and make them look more respectable, but the fact remains that Son turns 33 in July and is on £190k-per-week—Spurs’ biggest contract—which makes him look like a problem very quickly if the numbers don’t follow on the pitch.
And yet, there’s outside interest in him, and there remains good reason for it as well. When we look at his numbers from recent seasons, we get an enviable record—169 goals and 90 assists for Tottenham in total, in fact, which place him fifth in the club’s all-time top-scorers list, and if he were to continue even one more year, it’s hard to argue against him climbing that table furthermore. He is also a versatile operator, capable of playing centrally and out wide, and a veritable leader in the dressing room. On a free move, bringing him on board becomes a lucrative prospect for many a side, and so we have multiple sides taking an interest in him.
Should Tottenham willingly look to move on their veteran captain, though? Our answer remains no. For now, anyway.
Regardless of what happens with Ange Postecoglou, we can expect upheaval all over the pitch for Spurs this year, for changes need to be made to at least make sure the rock-bottom for them remains to be a top-half Premier League side vying for Europe, something they’re rather far from now. To that end, the likes of Richarlison and Timo Werner are the ones we can expect to be moved on from the final third of the pitch, and the likes of Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke look like they could be attracting genuine interest from clubs looking for bigger and better things as early as the coming summer transfer window.
And that’s just the front line. Spurs will be moving players all over the pitch, and even the dugout looks due for a change soon. Amid all this change, the club would want someone to hold the fort, and who better than their captain, one of their best-ever players, who will have completed a decade at the club in six months’ time?
Barring any injuries, as long as Son Heung-min makes the pitch he will make up the numbers just enough to warrant at least one more season, and Tottenham should firmly consider him a player they want to hold on to for the time being. Unless, of course, someone comes up with a preposterous offer.
