Danny Murphy has criticised Son Heung-min’s decision to extend his contract at Tottenham Hotspur, citing his lack of ambition.
Speaking to talkSPORT, former Liverpool footballer Danny Murphy has offered his thoughts on Son Heung-Min’s contract extension at Tottenham. He believes that the South Korean international has given up on his quest to secure a major trophy, criticizing his decision to prolong his stay in north London, as reported by Mirror.
The scathing attack comes just a few days after the Tottenham attacker penned a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2025. It served as a massive boost for the Lilywhites, who are otherwise expected to lose star player Harry Kane, with Manchester City reportedly closing in.
The Englishman is unsettled at Tottenham due to the club’s incompetence in recent years. Kane’s woes were deepened by England’s defeat to Italy in the UEFA Euro 2020 final, leaving him without a major trophy in a career that has witnessed significant individual success.
It has been a similar story for Son, who is yet to win a major title at club level. He joined Tottenham in 2015, notching up almost 300 competitive matches for the Lilywhites. His tally of 107 goals and 64 assists are simply breathtaking for any attacker, but the South Korean international is yet to win anything with Spurs.
On an individual level, though, Son has been crowned Asia’s Best Player of the Year four times while also winning the Puskas Award in 2020. Murphy believes a player of his quality deserves to move to a bigger club and his desire to remain at Tottenham is an indicator of his lack of ambition.
“Players are very different,” Murphy said. “When somebody is content and enjoying life and enjoying their football, not everybody is craving the same things. I’m sure he is getting a great financial deal, but the chances are he is not going to win very much in the next couple of years at Tottenham.”
“That’s the honest fact. So he is obviously not that bothered about winning things. I’m talking about every individual player being different in terms of what they want from life and football and their careers,” he added.
Murphy’s comments certainly won’t appease Tottenham Hotspur fans. But it does seem to have an air of reality, so it will be interesting to see whether the north London giants turn it around under the leadership of new coach Nuno Espirito Santo and managerial director Fabio Paratici next season.
