Tottenham forward Son Heung-min’s purported desire to take the next step in weighing up his future in north London amid Real Madrid interest is rocking the club.
Son is reportedly giving serious thought to taking the ‘next step’ in his career as the Madridistas have been keenly keeping tabs on the winger as Carlo Ancelotti considers an attacking shake-up at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Son has had an underwhelming campaign at Spurs so far this season as the attacker struggled to make an impact on several occasions. The 30-year-old striker and previous season’s Golden Boot co-winner has scored three and assisted two in 12 league appearances, and his spot in Antonio Conte’s starting eleven has come under pressure.
Understandably Tottenham will be careful not to make the former Bayer Leverkusen star unhappy in north London, with Sport1 reporting that he is nursing thoughts of leaving the club. The South Korean international is alleged to be ‘carefully considering’ the next steps in his career, being fully cognisant that he only has limited time left in his career to land the top trophies.
It certainly does not aid Spurs’ cause that Real Madrid have continued to keep tabs on Son since Ancelotti’s appointment last year, as the former Everton boss has long been an admirer of the highly-talented forward. Admittedly Los Blancos also have several stars that have been linked with exits – among whom are Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio – hence could be keen to make an irresistible offer for the South Korean, though Tottenham are in no rush to sell as his contract expires in 2025.
Son has been a key figure for Spurs even way before the arrival of Conte, with the 30-year-old playing just off of striker Harry Kane recently as the former Chelsea boss has switched to a 3-5-2 formation. The tactical switch has not eked improvement out of the 30-year-old yet, with the forward still desperately trying to find the form that saw him win the Golden Boot last season.
Spurs lost 2-1 to Newcastle at the weekend to an impressive Eddie Howe side with the way they prevented the opposition from dominating possession throughout. The Magpies surged into a two-goal lead before the half-time break thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron, with Kane halving the deficit shortly after the restart.
Conte’s contract at Tottenham expires at the end of the season, and Tim Sherwood believes that should the Italian not pen a new deal at the club then the likes of Son and Kane will refuse contract extension offers. He told Soccer Saturday: “Let’s face it, he (Conte) only has until the end of the season. I mean he’s not signed a new contract.
“You are asking Harry Kane and Son to extend their contracts, why would you extend your contract? If you believe in this manager, if your manager is going to be there until the end of the season. You have to make a decision on him, soon.”