Son Heung-min, who has made hundreds of billions of won in commercial profits to Tottenham for 10 years, was only a target of rationalization of management after all.
While Son Heung-min is rarely speeding up in re-signing negotiations with Tottenham, it has been argued that Tottenham’s plan to not raise his salary is a key reason.
Son is known to receive around 18 billion won (approximately 18 billion U.S. dollars), the highest annual salary for Tottenham. This ranking was also made by the transfers of two stars, Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris, respectively, but was not ranked first in the league. Moreover, Son’s salary ranking is around 40th when it is broadened to the total number of players in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, foreign media analyzed that Tottenham is shouting “NO” to Son Heung-min about the salary increase, and Tottenham is eventually trying to break up with Son Heung-min.
“Pichahes,” which reported Son Heung-min’s possible transfer to Spain’s prestigious Atletico Madrid two months ago, made the claim.
“There was a serious problem between Son Heung-min and Tottenham Hotspur,” the media said on the 17th (Korea time), adding, “There is a disagreement between Tottenham’s proposed contract extension and Son Heung-min.” Son Heung-min, a key Tottenham player, thinks he should get a better contract in terms of contract period and weekly pay. The player said, “Considering the outstanding performance (Tottenham offer) is not enough, and this is why it created tension.”
Son Heung-min has been embroiled in controversy over his contract this month. Following the Telegraph, a leading British newspaper, on the 6th, Fabrizio Romano, a world-renowned transfer market expert, addressed Son’s future as an issue on the 14th.
“Tottenham has started activating an option clause to increase the contract with Son Heung-min until June 2026, and Son Heung-min will accompany Tottenham for at least one more season (than the existing contract),” Romano said.
Son Heung-min signed his third contract with Tottenham back in 2021 for a four-year period.
However, the contract reportedly had an option for Tottenham to unilaterally extend it for another year. Tottenham wants to do this. In most cases, there is a positive response to the club extending the team’s highest salary contract by one year in their mid-30s.
However, if it’s Son Heung-min, it’s a different story.
This is because Son Heung-min is the key player who has kept the pride of the team by running around regardless of position even when Tottenham has been embroiled in a lot of controversy due to its declining performance in recent years.
Tottenham didn’t reinforce its striker Harry Kane, who scores more than 30 goals every season, even after spending the summer. Then, it changed Son’s position to a striker and tried hard to become one. Son kept playing as a forward-looking striker, wearing his captain’s armband.
He returned to the left wing during the season, but faced a difficult situation where strikers such as Hishalisson left due to frequent injuries, actually playing the left wing and striker at the same time.
Nevertheless, he scored 17 goals and 10 assists, becoming the third player in his career to join the 10-10 Premier League club. Tottenham also failed to enter fourth place to advance to the Champions League, but is aiming for the title this season as it entered the Europa League by ranking fifth. It is Son’s hard work.
In addition, enormous commercial gains and improved team image are characteristics that cannot be achieved outside the soccer field without Son Heung-min.
Tottenham opened its new stadium in April 2019 and spent a lot of money to build it. During the construction period, Wembley, known as the holy site of world soccer, was leased and used, but from this period, Korean and Asian fans flocked to buy Son Heung-min shirts and other products.
In the meantime, Tottenham’s status rose sharply. It is no exaggeration to say that Son Heung-min earned hundreds of billions of won outside the soccer field. The 2022 and this year’s Korean tour and this year’s Japanese tour were also possible because of Son Heung-min’s presence.
However, Tottenham is treating Son Heung-min coldly ahead of the end of the contract period.
Son Heung-min’s side has yet to make an official statement, but it deserves to claim a multi-year contract through an annual salary increase. This is because Tottenham made huge profits with Son Heung-min’s presence.
Forbes, a leading U.S. economic magazine, also knows this.
비아그라 said in a report in late October, “The question of Tottenham Hotspur is whether Son Heung-min will be able to maintain this level of support from Koreans after he leaves or retires,” and added, “The decade spent at Tottenham has formed a strong bond with Asian fans. But it is not yet known whether this will lead to fans encouraging their children to follow clubs on the other side of the world.”
“No matter how long Tottenham Hotspur’s popularity in Korea lasts, one thing is clear is that the club would not have made the top 10 in the global fan survey without the solid loyalty of continental superstar Son Heung-min,” he added.
Tottenham was a big club based in London before Son Heung-min joined the team, but it was no match for the two clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea. Son Heung-min is coming and young players in their early 20s, including Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, are enjoying their new heyday.
However, Son Heung-min’s contribution to this and his side that is still up and down the top are disappearing in front of Tottenham’s cold calculation.
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