Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to trigger their option to extend club captain Son Heung-Min’s contract as they look to avoid another Harry Kane-Esque transfer drama.
Although Son’s current contract has over 18 months left to run on it and will not expire until the summer of 2025, The Telegraph are reporting that Spurs have a clause that allows them to extend their skipper’s deal by a further year, and they are determined to activate it in the coming months to avoid a repetition of last summer’s Harry Kane transfer fiasco.
Son, who turned 31 years old and was named the new club captain over the summer, joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and has become a fans’ favourite over the past eight years, scoring 148 goals and making 80 assists from 378 appearances for the club.
He won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2021–22 but endured a miserable campaign last season as he struggled for form, with Tottenham finishing outside the European places.
However, the South Korean superstar has made a stellar start to the season under new boss Ange Postecoglou, notably scoring a hat-trick in Spurs’ 5-2 win at Burnley earlier in September. Likewise, Tottenham have made a strong start under their new gaffer, winning four and drawing one of the five Premier League matches so far.
Son was the subject of strong interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in the off-season, with reports suggesting that he was offered a four-year deal worth a whopping £25.6 million per season.
However, Spurs were in no mood to listen to offers for their key star, who himself took the initiative to end speculation over his future later, saying that he is not tempted by money at this stage of his career.
It’s claimed the Tottenham brass are “so relaxed over” Son’s future that they might wait until the end of the season to do so. The 12-month extension means Son will remain at the club until 2026 at the earliest and gives them added insurance, saving them from another summer of uncertainty with their star man’s future in limbo next year.
Much of Spurs’ past summer window was overshadowed by uncertainty surrounding former skipper Harry Kane. The Lilywhites were forced to sell their former talisman to Bayern Munich this summer as he entered the final year of his contract and snubbed putting pen to paper on an extension.
Eventually, the North Londoners netted a handsome £100 million for the England captain, but had Bayern opted against returning to the negotiation table with an improved offer, Kane could have walked away from his boyhood club for nothing next summer, and even worse, to a Premier League rival like Manchester United.
Spurs supporters may see Kane return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the future, though, as chairman Daniel Levy recently revealed that the club inserted a buy-back clause in the agreement with Bayern Munich.
Having Son tied up for an extra year will also come as a huge boost for boss Postecoglou, who has interestingly utilised Son as the main man in the front line at times already this season, which paid off against Burnley as he scored a hat-trick. It will be interesting to see if the Australian tactician will continue to use him there on more occasions over this season.
