"The staff probably knew it was Son Heung-min's final match."

Matt Law, a reporter for 'Last Word on Spurs,' noted, “It is highly likely that Son Heung-min will leave Tottenham this summer. After finishing the last Premier League match against Brighton last season, Son said goodbye to the club staff as if he were leaving the club. The staff got the impression that Son had played his last match for Tottenham.

Son Heung-min recorded 7 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League this season. On record, it looks respectable, but former Tottenham commentator Jamie O'Hara remarked, “Records alone are not enough. The leadership has also shaken, and his influence has diminished,” as he continuously criticized Son throughout the season. Early in the season, O'Hara even said, “The Son Heung-min we knew is finished.”

Now comparisons have emerged. O'Hara stated, “Just as Giggs did in the past, Son Heung-min needs to change his playing style. But whether that is possible is questionable.” Giggs successfully transformed from a winger to a midfielder in the latter stage of his career. He raised the question of whether a similar transition is possible for Son Heung-min.

In fact, Tottenham is undergoing a period of upheaval. They lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy for the 2024-2025 season, but manager Ange Postecoglou was dismissed. The British 'Telegraph' exclusively reported, "Tottenham is at risk of a player revolt. Just 16 days after winning the Europa League, the Australian-born coach Postecoglou was brutally fired, which sparked outrage among Tottenham players."

The media reported, "Postecoglou's dismissal has angered many Tottenham players. Some players want to leave the team. According to sources, the next manager will face significant challenges in stabilizing the broken locker room," adding, "Son Heung-min has given some teammates and coaching staff the impression that he may leave Tottenham this summer. Saudi Arabia has shown interest in him."

In fact, Son Heung-min's contract with Tottenham will expire at the end of the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Instead of offering him a new contract, Tottenham has only opted to trigger a one-year extension option. Due to this, transfer rumors have persisted. He previously stated that he wanted to leave Tottenham as a legend after lifting the UEFA Europa League trophy last month, leading to speculation about taking on a new challenge.

Initially, reports emerged that Tottenham would push for Son Heung-min's sale following their tour to Korea. In fact, Tottenham has made significant revenue from marketing Son Heung-min in Korea over the past few years. During visits to Korea in 2022 and 2023, they experienced sell-out crowds, advertising revenue, and broadcasting rights profits, fully benefiting from the 'Son Heung-min effect.' The dual shots of Kane and Son and the matchup with Kim Min-jae were box office certainties.

However, this time is different. Transfer rumors surrounding Son Heung-min persist. Multiple clubs from Saudi Arabia are interested in acquiring him, and Tottenham has placed a price tag of £100 million (approximately 185.1 billion won). The issue is the timing of the transfer. If Son Heung-min heads to Saudi Arabia before August 3, many fans who purchased tickets to see him play would only suffer a ‘loss.’

Some media outlets have claimed that Tottenham is attempting to sell Son Heung-min swiftly, even if it requires paying a buyout fee. As everyone knows, Son Heung-min's presence has been the primary motivation for him to visit Korea three times in the past four years. The bigger issue is that Tottenham seems to take advantage of this situation, using Son Heung-min to encourage Korean fans to open their wallets again.

Above all, the newly appointed manager Thomas Frank is clearly setting the tone by not even mentioning Son Heung-min's name in interviews. Captain Son Heung-min's presence has almost disappeared even in the new uniform introduction video, where he appeared for just about one second in a video lasting over 70 seconds. This signals that Son is no longer the 'face' of the team.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere of ‘let's sell him while we can’ is openly spreading both inside and outside the club. Local opinion poll results are quite shocking and symbolic. Fifty-seven percent of respondents supported Son Heung-min's transfer, while 22% were conditionally in favor. Those firmly in support of him staying accounted for only 21%.

The internal situation at Tottenham is no different. The new manager Thomas Frank is reported to have excluded Son Heung-min from the primary lineup plans for next season, and in fact, his name was absent from the list of key players. This illustrates that Son Heung-min is no longer central to the team's tactics, but has merely become a commercial image.

Law noted, "There is a scene that shows Son Heung-min is moving to another team at the end of last season. After the match against Brighton last season, Son said an overly emotional goodbye to the club staff," emphasizing, "It seemed like he knew it was a farewell. It is likely that a separation is imminent."

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