Tottenham have begun a new era after club legend and adored captain Son Heung-min completed his move to LAFC, bringing an end to ten brilliant years in the Premier League.
Son joined LAFC for around £20m after bidding an emotional farewell to Spurs, and was unveiled at his new club on Thursday. Son joins former Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris in Los Angeles, and will take a considerable personal fanbase with him to the MLS.
Tottenham are weighing up a move for a replacement in the transfer market, with Thomas Frank telling reporters this week that he is happy with his current options but is open to a new forward if the right player is available.
And that stance is underlined by their reluctance to lose Son, even if they did not stand in his way when he asked to leave.
Tottenham were reluctant to lose Son Heung-min but granted the winger his wish
Speaking to his club’s Black and Gold Insider Podcast, LAFC co-president John Thorrington couldn’t hide his delight this week at securing Son’s transfer.
Thorrington explained how LAFC had beaten off considerable interest in Son, while Spurs also fought to keep him. However, once Son was convinced by the LAFC project, Thorrington says Spurs then accepted their captain could leave.
“You have a club that loves him. Sonny is an absolute legend at Spurs,” Thorrington began. “For that reason, it does take a lot of work and a really appealing proposition to attract the player.
“We were all hands on deck, nothing disingenuous but explaining who we are, and also then finding a club [Spurs] that ended up being reasonable about where things stood and understanding this was what Sonny wanted to do with the next step of his career.
“It took a lot of hard work. Sonny was not short of options. We were always hopeful, I always felt we connected well. You sensed that he really got it. He really understood LAFC, there was an opportunity for him to meet our owners as well.”
Hugo Lloris helped convince Son Heung-min to join LAFC from Tottenham
Thorrington also revealed how Hugo Lloris acted as a salesman for LAFC as he helped convince his old teammate to join the MLS outfit.
Lloris left Spurs in 2023 after 11 seasons, and has made 76 appearances for the Black and Gold, winning the 2024 US Open Cup.
“Just as an aside, this Tottenham legend to LAFC [comparison] wasn’t intentional,” Thorrington said. “But in this case was helpful because we have Hugo [Lloris].”