Son Heung-min says he is leaving Tottenham after 10 years
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur waves to fans after arriving at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Aug. 1. Yonhap
Tottenham Hotspur's Korean captain Son Heung-min said Saturday he will leave his Premier League club of 10 years this summer, calling it "one of the toughest decisions of my football career."
Son made the announcement during a press conference in Seoul prior to Tottenham's preseason match against Newcastle United at 8 p.m. Sunday at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
"This was not an easy decision, but I have decided to leave the club this summer," Son said, after taking a few moments to gather himself. "I will try my best to have a fun match tomorrow."
With the start of the new Premier League season only a couple of weeks away, Son, entering the final year of his contract with Tottenham, had been subject to rampant transfer speculation. He has been linked to Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer in the United States, with clubs in the Saudi Pro League also believed to be targeting the Korean star.
Son declined to announce where he is going or say if he will play another match for Tottenham after Sunday.
"I didn't come here to talk about where I am headed. We have some work to do, and we have to focus on tomorrow's match," he said. "I will share more details on my future once it's decided."
Without getting into specifics, Son said it will be important to put himself in a situation that can help him prepare for next year's FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"The World Cup is going to be important. It could be my last World Cup, and I want to be in an environment where I will be able to pour my everything into it," the 33-year-old said. "I want to end up in a place where I will feel happy playing football."
Son joined Tottenham in August 2015, after starting his club career in Germany five years earlier. He is fifth on the all-time Spurs rankings with 173 goals in all competitions, and he won the Premier League Golden Boot as the league's top scorer in the 2021-2022 season. He remains the only Asian player to have won the Premiership scoring title.
Last season, Son captained Spurs to the UEFA Europa League title, his first major club trophy. Son said lifting that trophy factored into his decision to leave Tottenham.
"I am proud to have been with the same team for 10 years. I think I've given this team my everything every single day," Son said. "We won the Europa League title, and I think I've done everything I set out to accomplish with this team."
Then, responding to a question in English, Son added: "I just felt like I needed a new environment to push myself, to get more out of myself. I needed a little bit of change.
"Ten years is a lot of time. I came to London as a kid, at 23 years old, who didn't even speak English, and I am leaving this club as a grown man," Son said with a smile. "It's a very, very proud moment. It was the right time to make this decision, and I hope everybody understands it and respects it."
Son said he had spoken with a few of his teammates, adding they were "disappointed" but also respected why he made his decision.
Son said he had made up his mind "quite a while ago," and that made it difficult for him to keep his emotions in check in public over the past couple of weeks.
"I am happiest when I am playing football, but it was not easy deciding to leave a place where I've spent 10 years," Son said. "I didn't want to cause any distraction for my teammates. I tried not to create any extra noise, but I guess I could only do so much to hide my feelings. But for at least the time I will be spending in Korea, I will try to have as much fun as I can."
Spurs head coach Thomas Frank, who only took over the club in June, said he would have loved an opportunity to work more with "this fantastic player and person."
"He's truly a Spurs legend in every aspect, one of the best players to ever play in the Premier League as a winger," the Danish tactician said. "I think it's no secret that Sonny will start tomorrow and will lead the team out as captain. If it's going to be the last game for Sonny, what a place to finish his Tottenham career, in his home country in front of all the fans. That could potentially be a beautiful ending."
Even after Son departs, Spurs will have another Korean player in their squad in the 19-year-old Yang Min-hyeok, whom they signed last summer and then loaned to Queens Park Rangers in January. Yang is back with Tottenham for the trip to his home country.
"I feel so proud just watching him compete for his place on the team. He's got a bright future ahead of him," Son said. "Rather than hearing any advice from me, I think he will learn so much more by going through challenges and growing from that experience. I want to create a situation where he can just focus on his development without feeling any pressure."
Frank called Yang "a good, promising young player with good talent."
"He needs to keep working hard and keep trying to develop," the coach said. "He's not been that long in the club but at least he has a role model like Sonny. It must be fantastic for him."