It was revealed why Tottenham was hesitant to renew the contract.
“Son Heung-min’s performance in the match against Fulham symbolically revealed why Tottenham is hesitating to sign a new contract with him,” said the Spurs News on the 2nd (Korea time). “Son Heung-min’s recent performance has not met expectations throughout the season. It seems that he has not fully recovered from his injury yet,” he said. “He seems to be far from Son in the past.”
Son Heung-min’s succession of Big Chan-Smith is on the cutting board. Tottenham drew 1-1 with Fulham in the 13th round of the 2024-2025 English Premier League (EPL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London at 10:30 p.m. on the 1st (Korea time). Brennan Johnson scored the first goal in the 9th minute of the second half, raising expectations for victory, but was beaten by Fulham’s Cairney in the 22nd minute of the second half. In the end, Tottenham ended up with a 1-1 draw, failing to achieve consecutive league wins. It was the first draw at home in 28 games since April 2023. If they had won, they would have been able to enter the fourth place competition, but they failed to keep the lead of the first goal.
Son replaced Dominic Solanke as the front-line striker for the first time in a long time. Son was criticized for missing a decisive opportunity in the Europa League against AS Roma on June 30. Son started on the left wing and played for 77 minutes. He showed relatively good performance by scoring the first goal, but the problem was in the 36th and 40th minutes of the first half. With his teammates shooting coming out, he connected with a shot again, but none of them led to a goal.
Then, all of the British media came forward. The British newspaper Hotspur HQ reported that Son was having difficulty scoring goals in the early days of the season. “He had several good chances against AS Roma, but lost his composure at a critical moment. Son’s form has clearly deteriorated due to his injury this season, but this season is far from his heyday as he has been slow to recover after the injury.”
Paul Robinson, a commentator for the BBC who once played as a goalkeeper for Tottenham, said, “This is Son’s tremendous mistake. He sent the ball over the net from a mere six meters away. I don’t know how he can miss such a good chance. I can’t believe a player as big as Son missed this chance.”
“Football Fancast” also criticized, “Son Heung-min scored a penalty in the match against Rome, but he was painfully sluggish for most of the game,” adding, “Uncertain shots and pass selection mistakes were noticeable. Tottenham fans expect more from Son Heung-min as a leader.”
In the post-match press conference, questions were raised about Son’s poor scoring ability. Son has scored only four goals in 13 matches this season. “I don’t know if he lacks confidence. Son has had a chaotic year. He seized a good opportunity to score points. He is a player who can seize such opportunities, and he has consistently shown determination for 10 years,” Son said. “But now he is suffering from injury. Now he is fully recovering. That is the most important thing for us.”
Postecoglou gave Son another chance. However, Son’s performance was not very satisfactory. He bounced back and forth between the center and the side for 90 minutes, but only had one shot, one chance creation, one big chance, one cross success (0/3), and zero dribbling success. Notably, he took over Timo Werner’s pass inside the penalty area 50 seconds into the first half to face off against Fulham Bernd Leno Keeper one-on-one, but failed to score a goal. Son’s shot was blocked by Leno Keeper.
“Huscoordcom” gave Son 6.3, the lowest rating among the 11 players selected by Tottenham. Footmob, another statistical media, also gave Son 6.5 points, the lowest rating in his team.
Other ratings were similar. Football London gave it a team-low four points. Football London ‘had two early chances but was blocked by Leno. After that, it gave him little boost. He seemed to be drifting around on the edge of the game. It should have been a day where he should have brought the game by the scruff of the neck, but the captain was quiet.’
Andy Reid 토토사이트 꽁머니 from Tottenham also regretted Son’s performance. “It was a really big opportunity. To be honest, Son should have scored. He didn’t kick as many corners as he wanted,” he said. “It was a really, really good opportunity. Maybe Son should have finished.”
Spurs Web, a Tottenham fan community, also scored four points. Spurs Web said, “He had several chances in the beginning, but most of them failed. His performance was not the level he needed today.”
Despite such harsh criticism, Postecoglou defended Son. During the press conference, Postecoglou said, “He doesn’t care much about these things. The best goaltenders don’t hesitate to make mistakes for long. So does Son. I don’t think he is worried about this. He has consistently proved his worth every time.” “Various players have experienced such situations in our team as well. The important thing is not to obsess too much about the past and to maintain concentration. I am confident that Son will continue his scoring streak again soon.”
Son’s future as the “captain” is a hot potato. For now, Son’s future seems to be over by implementing a one-year extension option. The Athletic reported on Monday that veteran player Ben Davies will renew his contract and mentioned Son at the same time. The Athletic said Son’s contract expires at the end of this season as well. Tottenham plans to use the extension option. “Son Heung-min and Davis will continue next year as well.”