Son Heung-Min Contract: Highlighting The Importance of Tottenham Skipper's New Deal

 

On Tuesday, Tottenham confirmed that a one-year extension had been triggered in Son Heung-Min’s contract. There were fears he could leave on a free at the end of the season but their captain remains at the club until 2026. 

 

 

For supporters, it was viewed as a formality. Son has been a key player for Tottenham since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, even if he wasn’t first choice at the time. Saido Berahino was Spurs’ number one striker target as they sought to bolster the frontline but a failure to agree a fee with West Brom mean the north London side turned their attention elsewhere. It was very much a sliding doors moment that worked in the club’s favour. 

 

Son is already considered a Spurs legend as he approaches his 10th year at the club and while he doesn’t have the same explosiveness in the final third, the decision to extend his stay rather than allow him to leave on a free this summer was a no brainer. Even with the 32-year-old struggling in the final third, Son still has five goals and six assists to his name in the Premier League this season. He is Spurs’ best rated player with a WhoScored rating of 7.23 in what has been a tumultuous campaign so far in north London. 

 

News of the extension should come as a welcome boost for Spurs as they gear up for their EFL Cup first leg meeting with Liverpool this week. Ange Postecoglou’s side are struggling at present and a run of one win in their last eight at home doesn’t paint the best picture for the Australian boss. In that time, the Reds are one of those to have come away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a result, securing a 6-3 win in the capital last month. 

 

 

“I am fully focused on this year and just want to win something that everybody at the club deserves,” Son said earlier this year when asked about his future. During his time at the club, Spurs have reached the Champions League and Carabao Cup final, but they are longing for silverware as they seek to end a barren run stretching back to 2008. 

 

On the field, Son may not be as effective as in previous years, particularly as his style of play doesn’t match the demands of a winger in a Postecoglou system, but he’s a hugely experienced individual, and that plays a key role for one of the youngest squads in the Premier League. Spurs have invested heavily in youth in recent months, and with the likes of Mikey Moore, Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and compatriot Yang Min-Hyeok all breaking through the ranks or joining the club; they’ll look to Son as a figurehead to help acclimatise to English football and settle in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it’s this unheralded trait that goes a long way to justifying the new deal.

Son Heung-Min Contract: Highlighting The Importance of Tottenham Skipper's New Deal