Son Heung-min's position is being shaken in Tottenham's upcoming regime. As Thomas Frank is likely to be appointed as the new manager, the possibility of Son being excluded from the starting lineup has been raised continuously.

The Mirror reported on the 15th (Korea time) that Frank's expected starting lineup for Tottenham excludes Son Heung-min.

The Mirror predicted that "Tottenham needs to secure a new left winger instead of Son Heung-min," and that "Antoine Semenyo, who fits Frank's style, could take his place." The inclusion of Semenyo, who has not yet been signed, indirectly reveals Tottenham's future direction.

However, the Semenyo option has already been ruled out. Instead, in Frank's regime, Tel has emerged as a strong candidate to fill the void left by Son. The 20-year-old young and dynamic forward has already adapted to Tottenham’s environment. The club's investment of £30 million (51 billion won) also supports the possibility of him leaping into a starting role.

Talksport also revealed the expected new starting lineup for Tottenham under Frank on the 15th. There was a noticeable change in the 4-2-3-1 formation.

Dominic Solanke was positioned as the lone striker, while Jack Grealish, Dejan Kulusevski, and Bryan Mbeumo were named as the attacking midfielders. The midfield was secured by Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur, and the defense consisted of Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso, Mickey van de Ven, and Pedro Porro. Guglielmo Vicario was in goal.

What stood out the most was that Son Heung-min's name was missing from the list. Grealish replaced Son's position. Talksport noted, "Tottenham is showing interest in Grealish, who lost his footing at Manchester City," adding, "Grealish can offer a different option that no one else in the Tottenham squad can provide."

Grealish joined Manchester City in the 2021-2022 season for a transfer fee of €117.5 million (182 billion won) but has not lived up to expectations, increasingly losing his starting spot to Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, and Matheus Nunes, and remaining on the bench. His status further diminished as he was excluded from the Club World Cup squad this season.

SpursWeb emphasized Matis Tel, stating, "Tel has not received many opportunities due to Son Heung-min's presence. However, with Son receiving interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, Tel is expected to participate in Frank's first preseason training. Ultimately, he could receive more playing time and optimal positioning." This suggests that Son could gradually fall behind in the competition for a starting spot in Frank's regime.

Keith Wyness, former CEO of Everton, who has experience running Premier League clubs, also shared the same opinion. Wyness stated, "Son Heung-min is already 32 years old. As Frank prepares for a new era, there's a high likelihood he will provide opportunities to younger players," noting, "It seems that Son has reached the point of considering leaving the team."

This outlook coincides with the recent surge of transfer rumors to Saudi Arabia. According to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, multiple Saudi clubs have expressed active interest in acquiring Son Heung-min. Son's agent is also maintaining a close working relationship with the Saudi clubs, indicating the possibility of not just mere interest but concrete negotiations.

Accompanied by the trend of generational change at Tottenham, Son Heung-min's future is becoming increasingly uncertain. Although Son has left a significant mark in Tottenham's history, his name is gradually becoming a reality of disappearing from the starting lineup in the new managerial regime.

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