Son Heung-min to ‘wait and see’ on Tottenham future after Saudi links
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South Korea's Son Heung-min waves to fans after the team's win against Kuwait.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – Son Heung-min has cast doubt on his Tottenham Hotspur future after saying he will “wait and see” what happens amid speculation the skipper could move to Saudi Arabia.
The South Korean forward has a year left on his contract and has been linked with an exit after helping Spurs end their 17-year trophy drought.
“Rather than saying anything at this moment, I think we should all wait and see what happens,” the 32-year-old told reporters after South Korea’s 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Kuwait on June 10.
“But no matter where I end up, I will always do the best I can. It will never change.”
Son lifted the Europa League trophy in May to claim his first piece of silverware with Tottenham after helping his team beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao.
Despite the victory, Spurs have since fired manager Ange Postecoglou following a dismal Premier League campaign that saw them finish one place above the relegation zone.
Son came under pressure after a series of underwhelming displays but he vowed to come back stronger next season, wherever he is playing.
“I know people may say I had a disappointing year but personally, this was a special season because you play football to win, and only winners are remembered,” added Son, who joined Tottenham from Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. “I wasn’t in my best form for most of the season, but hopefully I will be in better condition going into the new season.”
South Korea booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a 2-0 win over Iraq last week.
They finished top of Group B in the Asian third round of qualifiers and were unbeaten in 10 games.
“I know people just assume that we should come out of Asia with ease, but nothing has been easy,” said Son, who came on as a 75th-minute substitute against Kuwait.
“I think we were able to finish well here because everyone came together with the same goal of never losing a match.”
Meanwhile, Brentford manager Thomas Frank is reportedly set to replace Postecoglou.
Frank, who has been in charge of the Bees since 2018, led Brentford back to the top flight in 2021 after an absence of 74 years and has established the west London club in the Premier League.
Hiring the Dane, whose contract runs until 2027, would cost Spurs around £10 million (S$17.4 million) in compensation.
Off the pitch, two South Koreans have been charged with blackmail or attempted blackmail targeting Son, the prosecution said on June 11, with one of them reportedly his ex-girlfriend.
The suspects – a woman in her 20s surnamed Yang and a man in his 40s surnamed Yong – have been in custody since May.
The two have now been “formally charged and will stand trial while in custody”, a spokesperson for the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office told AFP.
According to the Yonhap news agency and other local media, Yang is Son’s ex-girlfriend and allegedly extorted 300 million won (S$280,000) from him by sending an ultrasound image and threatening to go public with claims that she was pregnant with his child in 2024.
It remains unclear whether Yang was actually carrying the footballer’s child, with local media speculating that she terminated the alleged pregnancy.
Prosecutors believe Yang later attempted to extort an additional 70 million won from Son in 2025 in collaboration with Yong, with whom she was in a romantic relationship, according to Yonhap.
The pair allegedly made the threats by saying they would expose the alleged pregnancy and abortion to the media.
Son refused to pay the 70 million won and filed a criminal complaint against the two. AFP, REUTERS
