Heung-Min Son: Tottenham Hotspur captain leaves Premier League as an icon – however how do Spurs change him?

‘Cheers, Son’s crying’ was the meme that continually adopted Heung-Min Son’s Tottenham profession. As a substitute, it was these across the South Korean who have been in tears final week.

Because the full-time whistle went in Seoul on Sunday, the feelings spilled out as Tottenham’s captain appeared for the ultimate time in Spurs colors.

Ben Davies, who named Son because the godfather of his baby Ralph, was crying on the departure of his buddy. Different team-mates confirmed their feelings – however even the Spurs media workers cried on the sector, forward of the 33-year-old beginning his new journey at LAFC.

Besides Son was not simply Tottenham’s captain and chief. “Sonny is Tottenham and Tottenham is Sonny,” mentioned James Maddison earlier than his team-mate’s finale. In a decade on the membership, Son wove himself into the hearts of the Spurs: gamers, workers, supporters – and even rivals.

Firstly, there was Son the participant – and he departs the Premier League as one of many all-time greats to grace it from overseas. “One of the best players who has ever played in the Premier League as a winger, in my opinion,” mentioned Thomas Frank as Son introduced his departure.

The numbers make it onerous to argue with that. If Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne are the 2 standout Premier League gamers of the final decade, then Son might make the argument that he’s in third or fourth place in that listing.

Son even ended his Premier League profession with extra purpose contributions than De Bruyne, who spent precisely the identical variety of years in England’s top-flight because the South Korean.

And the objectives Son scored through the years have been memorable too. He scored the primary of Spurs’ new period within the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium towards Crystal Palace. His Golden Boot-winning marketing campaign was signed off with a double at Norwich, which noticed the house followers give him a standing ovation off the sector.

There have been additionally 9 north London derby strikes towards Arsenal.

In Europe, he scored twice within the opening 10 minutes at Manchester Metropolis in a Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie in April 2019. Harry Kane was lacking with damage that evening, however Son stepped up and Spurs memorably progressed on away objectives.

Son’s partnership with Kane was one other key issue of the fashionable Spurs period. The duo hit record-breaking heights in north London.

The Premier League has seen many memorable partnerships down the years. Shearer and Sutton, Henry and Bergkamp, Silva and Aguero, Drogba and Lampard. However none have been a greater double act than Son and Kane.

The pair mixed for 47 Premier League objectives, smashing Drogba and Lampard’s report by 11 strikes. Their 14 set-ups for each other within the 2020/21 marketing campaign can be an unmatched Premier League feat.

Have been it not for the 32 objectives arrange by Son, Kane would additionally not be Spurs’ all-time report goalscorer. It proves how instrumental the South Korean was to the Spurs period, but additionally to their star striker.

How Kane and Son are remembered at Spurs individually creates some debate. Sure, Kane was the generational goalscorer who fired the crew to relative success. However Son will all the time be remembered because the one who stayed. The one who would later information the crew to the trophy he craved, on this 12 months’s Europa League.

In truth, Son was the one member of the 2019 Champions League remaining crew who was on the membership final season. He’s the one one out of that crew, Mauricio Pochettino included, who delivered a trophy for the membership.

Amid rumours over Kane’s future for years, Son by no means approached the Spurs board asking for a manner out himself. He in all probability had each proper, given he scored 40 Premier League objectives within the two seasons both aspect of the summer season the place Kane was pursued by Manchester Metropolis. However his dedication to Spurs all the time resonated nicely with the membership’s fanbase.

‘He is good, so good’

It brings us on to the following a part of Son’s legacy that leaves with him. The human being.

Son all the time had a humility about him proper from when he entered Spurs. The winger initially suffered from homesickness upon arriving in England. “He struggled to settle,” mentioned Pochettino again in 2016.

The shut friendships he solid with the likes of Davies, Dele Alli and defender Kevin Wimmer helped him pull via, and the function of Pochettino was essential too.

Son’s first full season in England didn’t fare nicely, a lot in order that the South Korean requested to go away in the summertime of 2016.

Pochettino responded by placing Son within the crew for the 2016/17 marketing campaign, with Son instantly paying again the belief. He fired Spurs to their greatest begin to a season in 50, earlier than serving to them end as runners-up that time period.

“I’m impressed with him as a man as well as a footballer,” added Pochettino. “He’s a very nice person and how he works is impressive.” Others within the media would discover that out too.

Any interview with Son would see the South Korean all the time shake the palms of each individual within the room. He all the time appeared to know the sacrifices folks made to fulfill him. Even at his arrival in Los Angeles this week, Son spent greater than an hour signing autographs.

There was additionally the story of when Son first got here to England and noticed a neighbour was throwing a household celebration. He turned as much as introduce himself – and he would then forge shut relationships with those that lived round him, irrespective of their background.

It could be no totally different when Son changed Kane as Spurs captain. He would show to be a sounding board for any new participant, his generosity extending to serving to others settle in. In any case, Son had struggled himself.

“He’s nice, so nice,” mentioned Pape Sarr to Sky Sports activities throughout his first season on the membership. “Even if I say something wrong [in English], he tries to understand it to put me at ease.

“Because the first day I met him, we acquired on. Now we have a great friendship, he helps me lots and offers recommendation on the pitch and off it. I respect that lots and he is one among my favourites within the crew.”

However Son could be no extra common than in his native South Korea. The ahead’s spell on the membership allowed Spurs to faucet into the East Asian nation on a industrial degree. There, Son is considered a rock star.

That was even seen in England, with South Korean flags not solely at each single Tottenham sport – however a major variety of supporters from the nation would even queue exterior the membership’s coaching floor each day, only for a glimpse of their hero.

Spurs could have retrieved the overwhelming majority of the £22m the membership paid for him again in 2015, however Son paid off that payment a very long time in the past. He has left a novel presence on the Spurs squad throughout his decade on the membership.

None extra so than being the participant to carry the trophy to finish the 17-year drought. The right ending.

How do Spurs change Son?

Whereas Son’s presence as a pacesetter will take some changing, how the crew fill his purpose contributions shall be an instantaneous concern for head coach Thomas Frank.

Even in Son’s remaining season, which noticed him dip in ranges for the primary time in a Spurs shirt, he nonetheless registered 17 objectives and assists final time period. No Spurs participant managed extra.

There’s a wider context too. Second in that listing was James Maddison, who might miss the beginning of the marketing campaign after being stretchered off in Son’s remaining sport in Seoul towards Newcastle. Dejan Kulusevski, who acquired 15 purpose contributions final time period, can be working his manner again to health after knee surgical procedure in Could.

Spurs have recruited Mohammed Kudus from West Ham this summer season, however the assault will want bolstering even additional.

Frank’s curiosity in a No 10 is obvious via the failed pursuit in Morgan Gibbs-White, who was the topic of a £60m strategy from the north London membership.

The accidents to Maddison and Kulusevski have heightened the necessity for a participant in that place, however will a winger be required to switch Son?

Frank was coy about that out in South Korea, hinting that an inner alternative is extra possible via Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert or Mathys Tel, who the Dane admitted whereas on pre-season tour is extra of a winger than a striker.

With Cristian Romero set to step in as captain, how Spurs change Son might be one of many foremost speaking factors once they start a brand new period below Frank.

Sky Sports activities to point out 215 reside PL video games from this season

From this season, Sky Sports activities’ Premier League protection will improve from 128 matches to a minimum of 215 video games completely reside.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League video games this season are on Sky Sports activities.