Son Heung-min has confirmed he has taken the “most difficult decision” to leave Tottenham during this summer’s transfer window after 10 years at the club.
The 33-year-old made the announcement during Spurs’ pre-season tour of Asia, where he was speaking at a press conference in Seoul in his native South Korea.
“Before we start the press conference I wanted to say I have decided to leave the club this summer,” Son said as he sat beside Tottenham’s new manager, Thomas Frank. “Respectfully, the club is helping me with this decision.
“It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision. I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change – 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man.”
Frank had indicated in July that the forward may be on his way out of Spurs and refused to confirm whether Son would remain as club captain for the new season. “If a player has been at a club a long time, then there will always be a decision for the club to take,” Frank said before Tottenham’s first pre-season fixture against Reading on 19 July.
Son has been at Tottenham since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015, going on to score 173 goals in 454 appearances in all competitions. He registered just seven goals in the Premier League last season, when Spurs finished 17th, before lifting the Europa League – the first piece of club silverware of his career – following the victory against Manchester United in May’s final in Bilbao.
April 2019 With the opening game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium goalless after 55 minutes, Christian Eriksen finds Son on the edge of the Crystal Palace area. A couple of touches moves the ball on to his left foot and a finish into the bottom corner is an historic first on new ground.
April 2019 A couple of weeks later, Son scores two goals in three minutes – the second a trademark curler past Ederson – to give Spurs hope in their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City in a chaotic tie that ended with Mauricio Pochettino’s side winning on away goals on their way to the final.
December 2019 The goal that would win the Puskas award. Son collects the ball on the edge of his own box and sets off, picking up more speed as he avoids the trailing legs of various Burnley defenders. Nobody can keep up with him as he streaks through the centre of the pitch and beats Nick Pope.
December 2020 Some 12 minutes into the north London derby, Harry Kane sends a ball down Tottenham’s left for Son to chase. As Arsenal defenders backtrack towards their own penalty area, the South Korean lets fly and Bernd Leno can get nowhere near an arching shot that sent Spurs on their way to a 2-0 win.
September 2022 After winning the golden boot the season before, Son started the 2022-23 campaign without a goal in the first six league games. Dropped by Antonio Conte for a match against Leicester, the substitute comes on to score a hat-trick – the first and second goals spectacular ones from distance – and relief is etched across his face.
“,”credit”:””}”>
Quick Guide
Six magic Son moments at Spurs
Show
November 2018 With Spurs homeless as their new stadium is built, Son provides a moment to remember against Chelsea at Wembley. He chases Dele Alli’s ball down the channel, breezes past Jorginho, cuts inside David Luiz and calmly slots past Kepa Arrizabalaga to make it 3-0 to the hosts.
April 2019 With the opening game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium goalless after 55 minutes, Christian Eriksen finds Son on the edge of the Crystal Palace area. A couple of touches moves the ball on to his left foot and a finish into the bottom corner is an historic first on new ground.
April 2019 A couple of weeks later, Son scores two goals in three minutes – the second a trademark curler past Ederson – to give Spurs hope in their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City in a chaotic tie that ended with Mauricio Pochettino’s side winning on away goals on their way to the final.
December 2019 The goal that would win the Puskas award. Son collects the ball on the edge of his own box and sets off, picking up more speed as he avoids the trailing legs of various Burnley defenders. Nobody can keep up with him as he streaks through the centre of the pitch and beats Nick Pope.
December 2020 Some 12 minutes into the north London derby, Harry Kane sends a ball down Tottenham’s left for Son to chase. As Arsenal defenders backtrack towards their own penalty area, the South Korean lets fly and Bernd Leno can get nowhere near an arching shot that sent Spurs on their way to a 2-0 win.
September 2022 After winning the golden boot the season before, Son started the 2022-23 campaign without a goal in the first six league games. Dropped by Antonio Conte for a match against Leicester, the substitute comes on to score a hat-trick – the first and second goals spectacular ones from distance – and relief is etched across his face.
“Winning a title in Europe felt like I had achieved everything I possibly could,” Son added. “I spent a lot of time reflecting on whether I wanted to experience football in a different environment, and I had those conversations with myself over and over again.”
Los Angeles FC are interested in bringing Son to MLS and have been tracking the forward for some time but have yet to make an official bid. They signed Hugo Lloris, another Spurs captain, in December 2023. There is not yet thought to be any interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Son came on as a substitute in Tottenham’s friendly win against Arsenal in Hong Kong on Thursday and has featured in three of the club’s four pre-season matches this summer. Frank’s side are due to face Newcastle in Seoul on Sunday, when Son is expected to play and captain Spurs in what could be his final appearance for the club.
“For me, personally, I would have loved to have worked with this fantastic person and player,” Frank said during Saturday’s press conference. “He is a true Spurs legend in every aspect, one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League. It is never easy to find the perfect timing and me coming in from the side, it makes it a bit easier to end on a high.”
Son will leave Tottenham with just one trophy, that Europa League triumph under Ange Postecoglou, but also with a host of individual awards, most notably the Premier League’s golden boot, which he shared with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in the 2021-22 season.
He won Fifa’s Puskás award in 2020 for a solo run and finish against Burnley. Despite the presence of Harry Kane, Son won Tottenham’s player of the year three times in the space of four years between 2019 and 2022. He will leave fifth on the club’s all-time list of goalscorers behind Kane, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith and Martin Chivers.
