This season, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United can be considered as brothers in misfortune. The difference lies in the fact that "White Lily" has not reduced its attacking power in the Premier League, but the person maintaining this combat effectiveness is not the familiar Tottenham veteran Son Heung-min, but English forward Solanke and Welsh forward Johnson. There is no doubt that under the two-way comparison theory, it is easy to breed the topic of the gradual disappearance of the Asian light. In fact, the renewal negotiation between Tottenham and Son Heung-min has been stagnant at one point, and even the outside world thinks that European giants led by Barcelona have had the opportunity to pick up a bargain this summer, in other words, the relationship between Tottenham and Son Heung-min has entered the countdown stage.
In his 10 years with Tottenham, Son Heung-min has enjoyed the title of the team's assist king, but the number of goals has always been the only standard for testing the value of a forward. Perhaps the achievement of "winning Premier League goals for ten consecutive seasons" blurs a bit. In terms of this season, Son Heung-min only scored 5 goals in 17 Premier League games, which does not match the expected value of his 11.8 million euros annual salary (the highest in the team), seemingly neglecting the sense of mission as captain.
In September against Arsenal, he contributed 1 shot and lost possession 10 times throughout the game. In November against Villa, he was replaced not long after halftime with 0 shots. In November against Galatasaray, he delivered the "five-zero light" within half an hour. In December against Liverpool, he "accomplished" Alexander-Arnold's forward space. In December against Wolves, he wasted a penalty opportunity...
Extreme Tottenham fans once regarded Son Heung-min as the "worst captain in team history" and the "disgraceful captain" on social media platforms. Although this is a temporary emotional release, it seems to give Tottenham room to play on the topic. After all, the age of 32 and the contract about to expire are indeed the best turning point to stop losses in time.
Putting aside the two-way attack of juniors Solanke and Johnson, frequent injuries took the opportunity to complete the task of "throwing stones into the well", so that the South Korean Football Association refused to call up their own thigh during the World Cup qualifiers, in order to allow him to get enough rest. Of course, the Tottenham coach also set the behavior of replacing Son Heung-min in advance as "protection". Differentiation? Perhaps only the parties themselves know the warmth and coldness.
The sense of speed and explosive power are different from the past, being ridiculed and neglected belongs to the normal category, but the Asian king did not lose the desire to fight. In terms of recent performance, he contributed 1 goal and 2 key passes against Chelsea, 1 goal, 2 assists and 3 key passes against Southampton, and even staged a corner kick goal in the League Cup against Manchester United. In the process of getting better, equalizing Kane's Premier League appearance record (second in team history) is a conversion of emotional value, which seems to pave the way for the beauty of renewing the previous relationship.
Sure enough, in early January 2015, Tottenham achieved a "new year, new气象", they actively triggered the contract extension clause, renewed with Son Heung-min until 2026, coach Postecoglou explained the reason: "The main goal at present is to ensure that Son Heung-min can win some trophies before ending his career here." This seems to be an easy-to-target statement, knowing that Tottenham is only temporarily ranked 12th in the league this season, it is a laborious thing to get a place in Europe, and quickly arm the strength to "win the championship" next season? Optimistically speaking, perhaps Tottenham can only make a fuss in the cup, in the early morning today, the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, Tottenham beat Liverpool 1-0 to take the lead, ending the Reds' unbeaten streak of 24 games.
Renewal is an option that Son Heung-min happily accepts. In the past, when facing a series of invitations from big clubs, he repeatedly expressed his wish to end his career at White Hart Lane. Two years ago, when a Saudi giant offered a fat contract of 30 million euros, the Korean king remained unmoved, and even the way of confession was similar: "When you score wearing a Tottenham jersey, it's a different feeling."
Putting aside the emotional points of what the heart desires, Son Heung-min experienced a trajectory of starting low and rising high. He made 11 goals in 1242 minutes of playing time in the Premier League this season, and did not really drop the chain. At least the value of 38 million euros reflects personal value. Solanke was conquered by Son Heung-min when he first arrived: "His left and right foot techniques are balanced, and both feet have excellent finishing ability."
In fact, as an Asian player, it is not easy to survive in the Premier League. Racial discrimination is commonplace, and "glamour" obviously belongs to unexpected joy, so much so that Klopp couldn't help but sigh: "One of the biggest mistakes in my life is not signing Son Heung-min." From another perspective, the Korean has gone through a decade of tempering in the Premier League, which itself is a manifestation of value in another dimension. Don't forget that his peak value was as high as 90 million euros.
Speaking with data, in 431 games for Tottenham, he contributed 169 goals and another 90 assists, becoming the first Asian player to score 100 goals in the Premier League. Of course, the most passionate part is that he won the Premier League Golden Boot with 0 penalties in the 2021-22 season. You know, at that time, he competed with Salah on the scoring list as Kane's deputy, thus, in the 2022 Ballon d'Or selection, he refreshed the historical record of Asian players (11th), which is a reward based on strength.
At the age of 30, he won the Premier League Golden Boot. At the age of 31, he was promoted to Tottenham captain. At the age of 32, he successfully completed the renewal. It seems that Son Heung-min is not afraid of the long passage of time, but the hardships of the roller coaster mode are obvious to all. In the 2022-23 season, he only got 1 assist in the first 8 Premier League games, and only contributed 10 Premier League goals throughout the season. In the first half of the 2023-24 season, he experienced rotation turmoil and renewal difficulties.
Will the clouds disperse and the moon shine? Such troubles will not disappear just like that. Imagine that when Kane is helpless in Tottenham, the voices of suspicion from fans seem to outweigh understanding, and Levy even increased obstacles to leaving the team. If Son Heung-min, who stays behind, cannot output firepower in time in the second half, maybe those who settle accounts in autumn will gather again...