Tottenham has no intention of signing Son Heung-min for a long-term contract. For now, they are going to initiate a one-year extension option.
According to Football Transfer, a soccer media outlet, on the 11th (Korea Standard Time), Tottenham is seeking to issue a one-year extension to keep Son Heung-min in check. It plans to let him stay until 2026 in order to prevent him from leaving as a free agent.
According to the media, Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy is using the contract extension strategy as a key strategy to maintain stability of the club. Another goal is to keep Son Heung-min, who is gaining huge popularity among fans, as a key player in the team for a while.
The choice of contract extension alone is consistent with the European club’s policy of not considering players in their 30s in the long term. Although Son Heung-min still maintains excellent performance despite his 32 years old, it is analyzed as one of the reasons Tottenham is reluctant to renew the contract for a long time.
Since Coach Engie Postecoglou took the helm, Son has been spearheading his teammates with the captain’s armband around his arm. When Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) left and there was no clear goalscorer, Son played as a front-line striker, and tied for eighth in the score tally with 17 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League last season. He was fifth in attack points.
News of Tottenham’s renewal of Son Heung-min’s contract with Son started early in the 2023-24 season. Tottenham was committed to protecting Son Heung-min by sending Kane, who was one of the best strikers in Europe, to other teams. Tottenham is recognizing that it is a spiritual pillar of the locker room as it is expanding its influence from key players to young players. Some warned that if Tottenham sends Son Heung-min, it will not be able to win the title, which was a long-cherished task.
Tottenham formed a consensus by negotiating re-signing with Son Heung-min. “Football Insider” announced in March that “Even Chairman Levi will come forward to renew the contract.” He also reported that he will continue to accompany Tottenham unless there is a big deal, saying he will sign the contract renewal this summer.
One stumbling block was Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was linked to the Saudi Arabian team including Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne last summer, and there is another “oil money” rush in the Middle East this year. The Saudi Arabian team is expected to propose a four-year annual salary of 84 billion won (84 million U.S. dollars) to recruit Son this summer.
However, Son has repeatedly made moves to Saudi Arabia. He still has a winning task to play for Tottenham, and hence is re-signing the contract. Even though all of his teammates who enjoyed his prime after joining Tottenham in 2015 left the team, Son Heung-min, who is playing as a solo player, had promised to receive the highest treatment.
However, the situation has changed as time has passed. According to the sports media “The Athletic,” Tottenham announced that it plans to issue a one-year extension with Son. Public opinion that the option to extend the one-year extension was not given legendary treatment was prevalent.
Against this backdrop, some suggested that they will sign a new contract after taking advantage of the one-year extension option. British media Spurs Web said, “Tottenham is about to sign an extension contract with Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min’s one-year extension contract has strategic implications. It is to lay the foundation for a long-term renewal after securing an additional year. Considering Son’s influence and position at Tottenham, it is essential to tie him up with a new contract.” 스포츠토토
The media outlet said, “A one-year contract extension between Son and Tottenham is a strategic move. In addition to extending the contract, negotiations are expected to take place on renewing the contract for three to four years before the new season begins. This move is aimed at protecting the most valuable player in Tottenham’s team.” In other words, they could seek to treat Tottenham as a legend by renewing the contract for a long time after invoking the option to extend the contract for one year.
However, Alan Hutton, who played for Tottenham in the past, denied this. “I think Tottenham put an option to extend their contract for one year in order to protect them. If someone replaces Son, then Tottenham can get a transfer fee accordingly,” he claimed. The view was that Tottenham would make money from the transfer fee using Son, who has one year left on his contract.
Son Heung-min was born in 1992 and does not know when his performance will decline. Tottenham is watching the situation after pushing for a one-year contract extension rather than a long-term contract in preparation for Son’s poor performance.
Son Heung-min, however, is a legend who has made many history by wearing the Tottenham uniform. With his long-standing commitment to Tottenham, Tottenham’s lukewarm attitude is even more regrettable.
In this situation, Son Heung-min is only looking at Tottenham. After the second qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup with China in June, when the interview talked about an extension contract with Tottenham, he said, “I have nothing to tell you yet. There is nothing exactly going back and forth from the club, but it is true that it is a little uncomfortable to go out because it is a battle of errors,” and emphasized, “I am always doing my best for Tottenham and I will still do my best. While I have a remaining contract period, I said I am not hiding that I want to give something to Tottenham.”
