Rumors of Son Heung-min’s transfer to Saudi Arabia have emerged again.
“In recent months, rumors have been raised that Son Heung-min will leave Tottenham Hotspur, and Saudi clubs want to sign him as a free agent when his contract expires in 2025,” England’s “Kurt Offside” quoted Spain’s “Pichahes” on the 7th (Korea Standard Time).
Son Heung-min, who left Germany in 2015 and entered the Premier League (PL) stage, began to show rapid growth every season and is now establishing himself as a “legend” in the PL in his ninth year. In particular, he played a key striker under Antonio Conte in the 2021-22 season, and as a result, he became the first Asian to become the top scorer of the PL by scoring 23 goals and 9 assists in 35 league games. In particular, the fact that he became the top scorer without scoring a single penalty (PK) was enough to surprise soccer fans around the world.
In the 2023-24 season, when Enze Postecoglou was newly appointed as coach, he played his first captain’s armband since joining Tottenham. At the same time, he played in the center and the side, and proved his value by scoring 17 goals and 10 assists in 36 games in that season.
Son Heung-min, who has established himself as a “legend” of Tottenham and PL in name and reality, has been embroiled in continuous rumors of a transfer to Saudi Arabia since last summer. This is because there is only one year left until his contract with Tottenham. With no detailed talks yet with Tottenham, the news that Tottenham will issue a one-year extension option instead of proposing a renewal of Son Heung-min drew great attention. Britain’s “The Athletic” said in May that “Tottenham will hold Son Heung-min by invoking a one-year extension option instead of renewing his contract.” If the extension option is invoked rather than renewing the contract, he must play for another year while maintaining the existing salary. 스포츠토토
Against this backdrop, Saudi teams with massive capital are showing keen interest in Son. Ben Jacobs, a reporter for CBS Sports in the U.S., said, “He is the target of Saudi Arabian team in 2024 and counting is already underway. It’s worth watching,” and several local media outlets in the U.K. also reported on Son’s possible transfer by naming the team (RETHard).
Of course, Son’s position is firm. He is determined to stay in the PL. After an A-match game against El Salvador in June 2023, Son told reporters in the mixed zone, “I still have work to do in the Premier League. Money doesn’t matter. I just feel proud playing in the league that I like. Didn’t (Ki) Sung Yong say that? The captain of the Republic of Korea is not going to China,” he said firmly.
If there are no major variables, Tottenham will likely stay. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabian clubs are showing keen interest. Kurt Offside said, “Son Heung-min, who scored 17 goals and 10 assists last season, could be a huge recruitment for most Saudi clubs. However, it is not yet known whether he will be available as a free agent. It will be interesting to see if Tottenham offer him a new contract in the coming months. He is indispensable to Tottenham and losing him will be a big blow as well.”
He added, “Saudi clubs have succeeded in recruiting ‘World Class’ players in recent years and will try to elevate the league’s status by recruiting more players in the future. Players like Son Heung-min will certainly elevate the league’s status and add more charm. He is still showing his best skills. He will want a trophy, and it would be a big mistake to move to Saudi Arabia in his career.”