Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial situation has finally been resolved, with attention now turning to what happens with their captain.
After a decade of service, an emotional Son Heung-min finally got his hands on a trophy in Bilbao last month.
Now, though, the South Korean is approaching a crossroads. To stay or go?
Son, who will turn 33 in July, has a year remaining on his Tottenham contract, but is being linked with an exit.
Where could he go?
Speculation over Son’s future has been fuelled by reports that he is open to leaving on a high, as a Europa League winner.
“I still have one more year left on the contract,” he said last week while on international duty.
“Rather than saying anything at this moment, I think we should all wait and see what happens.”
There is inevitable interest in Asian football’s highest-profile player from Saudi Arabia, while talk of a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce has surfaced.
MLS is another possibility, although Spurs’ asking price and Son’s salary could make that option less feasible.
Is Son in decline?
Despite being below par for much of last season, Son still finished with 16 direct goal contributions (seven goals and nine assists) from 30 Premier League games. He also scored three times in Europe.
However, he has struggled for form in 2025. Since netting twice in a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim on 23 January, Son has scored just once (a penalty against Bournemouth in March) in his last 21 appearances for club and country.
Hamstring and foot injuries were a factor, but given Son’s age and mileage in the tank, it is reasonable to wonder whether he is in decline.
Son has accumulated 753 appearances (454 for Tottenham, 134 for South Korea, 87 for Bayer Leverkusen and 78 for his first club, Hamburg) since 2010.
That is 50 games per season, on average, in arguably Europe’s two most demanding domestic leagues, as well as major European and international tournaments.
He has been an undisputed starter and 90-minute man virtually the whole time, especially for Spurs and South Korea, where he is three games from becoming their most-capped player ever.
Son’s explosiveness and dynamism are bound to have burdened his muscles and joints over the years. According to Transfermarkt, Son has missed 77 matches due to injury in his career, of which 34 (44 per cent) have been in the last four seasons.
Although Son recovered from a foot injury before the Europa League final, Ange Postecoglou named him on the bench. That would have been unthinkable in previous years, even if Son was not fully fit.
Regardless of whether Son sees out his contract or not, the club appear to be building for the future, after signing Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich for £30m (plus £4.3m in add-ons).
Tel made a minimal impact on loan, scoring three times (including a penalty) and providing an assist in 20 appearances.
However, the 20-year-old showed glimpses of talent and could be a smart recruit with Thomas Frank renowned for developing raw young forwards.
Frank converted Ollie Watkins and Yoane Wissa from wide players (where Tel has predominantly played for Spurs) into 20-goal-a-season strikers.
Frank’s potential impact
The counterpoint is that a change in manager could galvanise Son.
Brentford were certainly not passive under Frank, but data from Opta Analyst in February showed that they made around 750 fewer sprints and 400 fewer final third pressures than Postecoglou’s Tottenham did at that point in the campaign.
Could playing in a less intense system benefit Son as he approaches his mid-30s? It surely wouldn’t hurt.
Then there is the tactical element. Although Son’s numbers under Postecoglou were good – 24 goals and 19 assists in 65 Premier League games – he was more of a creator than a goalscorer under the Australian.
In Postecoglou’s system, the wingers played high and wide, put crosses in and attacked the back post. Son’s signature move of cutting inside and shooting happened less frequently.
In contrast, Brentford’s wide forwards had a greater onus to score goals than create them. Spurs-linked Bryan Mbeumo managed 20 (15 without penalties), with Kevin Schade contributing 11.
While Schade was more of a back-post poacher, Mbeumo had the freedom to find space and get shots off.
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Verdict
If he stays, it will be intriguing to see whether Son can recapture his best form or if last season was the start of a drop-off.
Even if the downward trend continues, it would do nothing to taint Son’s Tottenham legacy. He was a club legend pre-Bilbao; he may have earned himself a statue outside the stadium after it.
Son may fancy another crack at silverware, starting in the Uefa Super Cup in August, albeit Spurs face a frighteningly good Paris Saint-Germain in Udine.
Conversely, he has achieved so much in north London that he may feel it is time for a fresh challenge, perhaps in a less demanding league.
Son’s departure will sting Spurs supporters when it does happen. But if this is the end, it would be a perfect way to bow out.
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