Tottenham legend Son Heung min confirms he is leaving this summer

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has officially confirmed that he will be leaving the club this summer, describing it as the "most difficult decision" he has ever made. After an illustrious 10-year career with Spurs, the 33-year-old made the surprising announcement during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, where the team is on their pre-season tour.

"Before we start the press conference, I wanted to say I have decided to leave the club this summer," Son stated, seated beside Tottenham's new manager, Thomas Frank. "Respectfully, the club is helping me with this decision. It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision."

Son explained his motivation for the move, saying, "I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change – 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man."

Manager Thomas Frank had hinted at Son's potential departure in July, refusing to confirm if the forward would retain the captain's armband for the new season. Frank commented, "If a player has been at a club a long time, then there will always be a decision for the club to take," before the team's first pre-season fixture.

Son has been a key figure at Tottenham since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015. He went on to score 173 goals in 454 appearances across all competitions. Last season, despite the team's 17th-place finish in the Premier League, he helped Spurs lift the Europa League trophy, the first piece of major silverware of his career, after a final victory against Manchester United.

"Winning a title in Europe felt like I had achieved everything I possibly could," Son added. "I spent a lot of time reflecting on whether I wanted to experience football in a different environment, and I had those conversations with myself over and over again."

Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC have expressed interest in signing Son and have been tracking him for some time, though no official bid has been made yet. LAFC also signed another former Spurs captain, Hugo Lloris, in December 2023. There is no reported interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia at this time.

Son has been active in Tottenham's pre-season, featuring in three of the club's four friendly matches this summer. He came on as a substitute in the recent win against Arsenal in Hong Kong and is expected to play and captain Spurs in what could be his final appearance for the club in their upcoming match against Newcastle in Seoul.

Frank praised Son's character and contribution to the club. "For me, personally, I would have loved to have worked with this fantastic person and player," the manager said. "He is a true Spurs legend in every aspect, one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League. It is never easy to find the perfect timing and me coming in from the side, it makes it a bit easier to end on a high."

Son leaves Tottenham with just one trophy, but with a remarkable list of individual accolades. He shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah in the 2021-22 season, won FIFA's Puskás Award in 2020 for his stunning solo goal against Burnley, and was voted Tottenham's Player of the Year three times between 2019 and 2022. His impressive goal tally places him fifth on the club's all-time list of goal scorers, behind only Harry Kane, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith, and Martin Chivers.