For the first time in over a decade, Tottenham Hotspur are about to lose their last global superstar.
Son Heung-min, who has been Spurs’ undisputed poster boy since Harry Kane departed for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, is on the verge of signing for MLS side Los Angeles FC after a 10-year stint in north London.
Not since Gareth Bale left north London for Real Madrid in 2013 have Spurs lacked an obvious icon who can not only carry the team on the pitch, but also act as the face of the club off it. In that instance, it was not one of the seven signings made with the £85million (€100m at the time) of ‘Bale money’ that wrestled the mantle — though Christian Eriksen would have been more than worthy of the title — but academy product Harry Kane, who became an unlikely icon for club and country.
Following Kane’s move to Munich, his status was seamlessly inherited by Son, although in truth, the pair shared top billing for much of their time together. Now, with Son also heading for the exit, having “achieved everything he possibly could” following their Europa League triumph in May, Spurs are without a ‘franchise player’.
Sustained success on a football pitch is more reflective of a cohesive unit than the brilliance of one or two individuals, and the signings of Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha have helped Spurs strengthen in areas of weakness last season. But without a like-for-like replacement for Bale, Kane or Son, Spurs lack an X factor, on and off the pitch.
In his pomp, Son was considered among the very best forwards in the world. He leaves the Premier League with 127 goals from 333 league appearances, and a ubiquitous love from the fanbase that is almost unmatched across any level of the game. His production steeply declined last season, but even a return of 17 goal contributions (seven goals, 10 assists) from 30 league matches is comparable to Bruno Fernandes and Morgan Rogers, who both notched eight goals and 11 assists from 36 and 37 league appearances.
And off the field, Son’s influence was even greater. He was made club captain by Ange Postecoglou because he was a “unifier”.
“He could sit at any table in the lunch room, whether it was staff or players, and get a conversation going,” Spurs’ former head coach told The Athletic. And with Son unable to start the Europa League final due to a foot injury, Postecoglou reminded his players that the result of that game would be tied to the South Korean’s legacy. His influence extends to opposition players, including Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, who described Son as a “role model” and could be seen with his arm around Son at various stages of Sunday’s match between the two teams.
From a branding perspective, Son belongs to the upper echelon of world superstars in terms of engagement and sponsorship potential. According to research commissioned in 2022 by AIA, Tottenham’s shirt sponsor, 12million South Koreans called Spurs their favourite football team, just short of a quarter of the country’s population (51 million), and that’s almost entirely down to Son.
This summer, Spurs travelled to South Korea for the third time in four years for their pre-season tour and he was the star attraction. His status as South Korea’s most prominent celebrity is a significant factor in Spurs being the Premier League’s most followed club on TikTok. Two of Tottenham’s sponsors (Kumho Tyre and Paris Baguette) are South Korean companies. Naturally, there is nobody else in Spurs’ squad, or arguably in world football, that could expect to continue elevating the club’s brand in the way Son has.
“There has always been this stereotype, going back to Park Ji-sung, that signing players from East Asia is a really commercially smart thing to do because of exposure and fandom,” says Daniel-Yaw Miller, a sports culture, fashion and business expert. “But as a commercial entity, Son is a unique case. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a situation where one player brings in thousands of people every matchday in the same way.”
“I’ve been to Spurs’ stadium and you can palpably feel how his presence affects the demographic of the crowd. It’s one of a kind, and it’s risky trying to chase or get an equivalent, because I’m not sure anyone in world football can replicate him.”
As of 2023, up to 700 Son shirts were being sold on matchdays — the most of any player at Spurs, “by a big distance”. Undoubtedly, a proportion of the South Korean fandom will remain after Son’s departure, and the signing of 19-year-old Yang Min-hyeok will help retain interest, but expecting thousands of Koreans to continue flying over for every Spurs game seems wishful.
Thomas Frank’s squad is not short of talent, but finding a player from within to step into Son’s shoes is not straightforward. James Maddison has the character to shoulder the responsibility of being Tottenham’s leading man, but a knee injury sustained on Sunday in Korea, described by Frank as “bad”, may rule him out of action for a while. Cristian Romero could be a world-class defender and is a World Cup winner, but it is a big ask for him or Micky van de Ven to have the superstar presence of Son, Kane or Bale from centre-back. Perhaps it will be Lucas Bergvall, or new signing Kudus, or even Dominic Solanke — but they all feel like outside bets.
Son’s impending departure leaves Tottenham as the only ‘Big Six’ club without an easily identifiable star. It’s simple to point at Arsenal (Bukayo Saka), Chelsea (Cole Palmer) or even Manchester United (Fernandes), and identify the player who will be front and centre in sponsorship campaigns, never mind Erling Haaland at Manchester City and Mohamed Salah at Liverpool, whose production on the pitch far outweighs any commercial considerations.
Whether it matters depends mainly on how Frank starts life in north London. Who knows, maybe there’s an overlooked talent waiting in the wings, rather like Kane, ready to step up to the plate?
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)