Harry Kane and Son Heung-min crowd favourites as Spurs arrive in Singapore

SINGAPORE – The future of Harry Kane is still up in the air, but Singaporeans’ love for the English forward is unshakeable.

The England forward and South Korean star Son Heung-min drew the loudest cheers at the Pan Pacific hotel as they arrived with their Tottenham Hotspur teammates at around 2.30am on Monday.

Spurs, who finished eighth in the English Premier League last season, will face Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors on Wednesday at the National Stadium.

They will also hold an open training session at the same venue on Tuesday.

A group of at least 60 fans had gathered by the hotel’s side entrance at around 11pm on Sunday.

Most fans whom The Straits Times spoke to had come to see Kane and Son, but those supporters were ultimately disappointed when none of the Spurs players stopped for pictures or autographs.

They stepped out of the team bus and strolled straight into the hotel, with Kane, Son, new signing James Maddison and defender Cristian Romero the only players who acknowledged their supporters.

A fan, who wanted to be known only as Joel, wore a Spurs kit with “Harry Kane” printed on his back, while his wife Stephanie wore a jersey bearing Son’s name.

Joel said: “I don’t think he will stay at the club for long. This may be one of the last few times we can see him while he is still with Spurs.

“I am going to watch the match but I thought this would be the best opportunity to see him and the team up close.”

They also held aloft a whiteboard that said “Hi Mr Son and Mr Kane, today is my wife’s birthday.

“It would mean so much to her if you could take selfies with her.”

Stephanie was saddened that none of the players went over to the fans.

She said: “I’m very disappointed. But it’s okay, we will try again at the open training and the match.”

Kane, 29, has been the subject of interest from a host of clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Tottenham have rejected at least two bids from Germany’s Bayern Munich.

Kane starred in Spurs’ last visit to Singapore in 2019. Then, he struck from near the halfway line to give them a last-gasp 3-2 win over a Cristiano Ronaldo-led Juventus in front of about 50,000 fans at the National Stadium.

Some lucky fans were able to get up close and personal with Son later in the day, when he appeared at the Tumi store in ION Orchard with teammate Richarlison as part of a private event.

The 31-year-old forward was his usual bubbly self as he greeted more than 100 guests and the duo later took part in a game of foosball with five attendees.

One of them was content creator Luke Goh, a “huge fan” who got to team up with his idol Son.

Goh said: “I like Son because he’s an unselfish player, he doesn’t only care about himself on the pitch but his teammates as well. I was also surprised he was so nice (in person) and he even said ‘good job’.”

Tottenham arrived in Singapore after Sunday’s friendly against Leicester City in Bangkok was cancelled due to a water-logged pitch at the Rajamangala National Stadium.

Singapore is the final stop of their Asia-Pacific tour, which began with a 3-2 loss to West Ham United in Perth last Tuesday.

The inaugural Singapore Festival of Football kicks off on Wednesday when Spurs take on the Sailors in the Tiger Cup.

EPL giants Liverpool, who are returning to Singapore for a second straight year, will face Leicester on Sunday.

They will then meet Bayern Munich in a tantalising clash on Aug 2.

Additional reporting by Lin Tianbao