Tottenham Hotspur’s new a 30m signing Son Heung-Min was only announced a couple of days earlier, but he has already been banned from purchasing a red car due to the club’s age old rivalry with Arsenal FC. .
The former Bayer Leverkusen forward became the world’s most expensive Asian footballer when he completed his switch from the Bundesliga side to White Hart Lane. Heung-Min scored a hat-trick in the 8-0 thrashing of Laos by Korea. But, the forward did not travel to Lebanon with the national side since he had to travel to England to complete his paperwork and finalize his move to Tottenham Hotspur.
The 23-year-old has been signed by the North London outfit to ease the goal-scoring burden on striker Harry Kane. If the Korean is able to fulfill his potential, he may well prove to be a coup by Spurs’ manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Speaking in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo, Son gave his thoughts on his personal goals for the season. The Korean forward didn’t shy away from commenting on his former teammate, Hakan Calhanoglu’s accusation that he went AWOL from training without informing the club.
He also shared a candid conversation with new manager Mauricio Pochettino after arriving at the club and highlighted that he was banned from purchasing a red car due to the club’s rivalry with Arsenal FC.
Here are some excerpts from his interview with the newspaper:
Whata s your goal for the season?
I know Tottenham brought me here with big expectations. I know I have to do well, but instead of leaping forward in one big step, I would like to do it step by step. And then I believe good results will follow.
It was quite an issue when Leverkusen teammate Hakan Calhanoglu revealed that you missed training without notice and were unreachable before your transfer to Tottenham was confirmed. What happened?
A. Leverkusen gave me permission to take a medical test within 48 hours. I was still contracted with Leverkusen, so I couldna t move without the cluba s permission. Calhanoglu also made some noise when he was moving from Hamburg to Leverkusen. Thata s why I said, a Wer im Glashaus sitzt, soll nicht im Steinen werfena (People who live in glass houses should not throw stones), to the German media. Ita s sad that Calhanoglu said that and that we are bickering. Since I didna t say goodbye to the Leverkusen coaching staff and players in person, I will try to visit the team in the near future.
Park Ji-sung said he decided on Manchester United in 2005 after he got a phone call from then manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Why did you decide to sign with Tottenham?
There was no phone call from manager Mauricio Pochettino. But after I signed the contract and met him in the first meeting, he joked by asking, a Why didna t you come when I was managing Southampton?a Tottenham plays aggressive football, which I like very much, and I like to pressure opponents from the front. I think I can be a better player if I train under Pochettino.
Lee Young-pyo, who previously played with Tottenham for three years from 2005, said Tottenham fans even put a blue hat on Santa Claus at Christmas because of their rivalry with Arsenal, who play in red. What do you think?
Tottenham officials already told me I cana t even buy a red car. Ia m very excited to play against Arsenal. Whatever match I play, I want to score goals. Since Ia m a forward, my goal-scoring record will speak for me.