The Son Heung-min release rumors have come out of nowhere, and it’s interesting.
On March 3, ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho took over the reins of Fenerbahce, a prestigious club in Turkey and Kim Min-jae’s hometown team, and Son Heung-min was one of the five players Mourinho wanted to bring with him.
“Son Heung-min is one of five players who could meet with Mourinho at Fenerbahce,” said Football365 on April 4 (KST), adding that “Son Heung-min and Romelu Lukaku (AS Roma forward) could be reunited with Mourinho at Fenerbahce.”
Mourinho and Son worked together at Tottenham from November 2019 to February 2021. “Mourinho’s fortunes at Spurs felt doomed from the start. Spurs could have given Mourinho a few more days after reaching the League Cup final, but unfortunately, Spurs didn’t change,” recalling the club’s decision to sack Mourinho in the midst of their title chances.
He went on to say that his relationship with Son Heung-min was good. “Mourinho was a disappointment at Tottenham, but he brought out the best in Harry Kane and Son Heung-min,” the outlet said, adding, “Son, the player who played the most minutes under Mourinho, scored 29 goals and provided 25 assists in 70 games.”
In addition to Son Heung-min and Lukaku, the media also named Armando Broja, a 2001-born striker who has lost his place at Chelsea, Victor Lindelof, a defender who has lost his place at Manchester United, and Willian, a 1988-born veteran who was once Mourinho’s protégé at Chelsea, as the other five players who could go to Fenerbahçe.
While it’s nice to be recognized by Mourinho, it’s not necessarily the case. Rather, it’s because Son and the other four players on the list are all on a downward spiral.
Lukaku, who has worked with Mourinho in the past at Chelsea and Man United, is in a better position. He reteamed with Mourinho at AS Roma 메이저토토사이트 in the 2023-2024 season, but they parted ways again when Mourinho was sacked in January. He has scored 21 goals in 47 games for the club, but at 31 years old, he is on a slight downward spiral.
The other three, Broja, Lindelof, and Willian, would be hard to put in the same position as Son Heung-min. Willian is a Brazilian technician who has made a name for himself in the past, but he will soon turn 37.
That doesn’t mean that Son is Mourinho’s favorite protégé. Mourinho recognized him, and their relationship grew so fast that he introduced him to Kim Min-jae, but to be fair, they’ve only worked together for a year and three months.
This report is perhaps in line with some local English media claims that Tottenham should consider re-signing Son Heung-min for the medium to long term.
“Tottenham are set to trigger a one-year extension option, tying Son Heung-min to the club until 2026,” global sports media outlet The Athletic reported.
The publication praised Son for his 17 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season, and it was expected that Tottenham would extend his contract and keep him as a key member of the team next season.
However, it was not the three-year extension that the British media had been speculating about all season, which led to a heated reaction in Korea. The media 메이저 토토사이트 reported that it was a one-year extension to his existing contract. “Heung-min has enjoyed a return to form and has been indispensable as captain,” the outlet explained, “Tottenham have also triggered a one-year extension option, tying him to the club until 2026.”
The move has been met with backlash from fans, who see it as a sign that the club is trying to “cheat” Son, who is one of the top 30 earners in the Premier League, by tying him down to his current contract for another year rather than signing a new deal. At 32 years old, the focus is on the player’s age and the arithmetic decline in his skills, rather than his current and still-evolving game and commitment to Tottenham.
This is also the case with the English media’s rumors of Son Heung-min’s transfer to Fenerbahce. There’s no reason for Son to be treated similarly to Lindelof and Willian. He”s not old enough or good enough to go to Turkkiye yet.