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Son Heung-min wants to stay at Tottenham this summer, but any decision over his future may be taken out of the captain's hands.

The South Korean superstar is an all-time Spurs great. His decade of service has thrust Son into a realm that only a few have ascended into while donning Lilywhite, and the forward finally got his hands on some silverware at the end of the 2024/25 season in the form of the Europa League.

Injuries meant the skipper didn't play all that much during the run-in, and he was limited to a cameo off the bench on that magical night in Bilbao.

While a supreme force at his very best, many have suggested that the 32-year-old's demise has been too distinct to ignore over the past 18 months. As a result, there's been speculation over his future this summer, with Spurs aiming to cash in this summer to avoid losing him for nothing in 2026.

Son Heung-min wants to stay at Tottenham this summer

There's been interest from MLS, Saudi Arabia and Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, with Los Angeles FC believed to be making the strongest push for Son.

However, according to South Korean journalist Han June, Son has put any potential move on hold with his current priority to remain at Tottenham. A meeting is lined up with new manager Thomas Frank next week, and that discussion will likely shape the direction the two parties go this summer.

Frank's utilisation of his wingers, who function more as inside forwards, suits Son, and there's potential for a productive rejuvenation with the Dane at the helm. However, the 32-year-old simply isn't the player he was even two seasons ago, with his physical decline evident almost every time he takes to the field.

Frank's outlook for the forward is, of course, significant, and Son deserves to go out on his terms. However, Daniel Levy will do everything in his power to ensure the South Korean icon doesn't depart as a free agent in 2026. Son may not be attracting the interest of Europe's elite this summer, but there's scope for Spurs to garner a decent enough fee for him.

Thus, even if the 32-year-old wants to stay, the decision may be taken out of his hands. It may seem harsh, but Levy, as he proved with the decision to sack Ange Postecoglou, isn't sentimental. If selling Son makes financial sense this summer, that's the course the chairman will likely take.

Ten days after sacking Tottenham’s first European Cup-winning manager since REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity topped the charts, Daniel Levy sat down for an in-house interview with newly appointed CEO Vinai Venkatesham and proclaimed: “It’s not enough. It’s what we haven’t done that’s more important. We need to win the league.”

It was an uncharacteristically bold declaration from the chairman, given the club’s dearth of silverware during his 25-year tenure, the “We Want Levy Out!” chants echoing through Tottenham Stadium, and the public condemnation he received during fan protests for prioritizing commercial interests over investment in the squad. He will have seen the “24 Years. 16 Managers. 1 Trophy” banners and heard the “Can Beyoncé Play Up Front?” chants reverberating not far from where he plans to build a 30-story hotel with club revenue. It would help explain why he felt compelled to add “the reason we do all these other events is to provide additional financial resources to the club, which in turn goes back into the team. Everything is about the team.”

If Levy intends to stay true to his word, he would be wise to task his new Football Insights and Strategy team with identifying key areas of improvement for the squad. Using empirical data from the last 12 years, we found four factors that directly equate to Premier League success.

Wage Bill

Historical Evidence: Although Manchester United’s historically league-leading payroll proves the highest wage bill doesn’t ensure Premier League success, building squads with median-salaried players almost guarantees a mid-table finish. Except for Leicester’s 2015-16 title-winning season, every Premier League-winning team in the last dozen years has paid one of the five highest wage bills in England. Exorbitant transfer fees make the headlines, when the primary indicator of a player’s quality is the size of their contract. A club’s fortunes lie on a razor’s edge, to borrow a Herodotus quote; to compete for silverware requires prescience in the transfer market and paying higher salary-to-transfer ratios for world-class players.

Tottenham Takeaway: Levy can boast that he’s spent £463 million in the transfer market since the 2021-22 season, behind only Manchester United and Chelsea. But during that time, the club’s wages-to-revenue ratio has fallen from 57 to 42 percent, the lowest in the Premier League. Spurs currently have the seventh-highest payroll in England at £93.2 million, around 14 percent lower than sixth-place Aston Villa. If Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero depart, Tottenham will lose two of its three highest wage earners, leaving James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski as the only players earning more than £100,000 per week. In comparison, Arsenal paid 18 players at least £100,000 per week last season. The bottom line is that if Levy refuses to increase Spurs’ wage bill, Newcastle or Aston Villa could replace Tottenham in the Big Six.

*Data provided by Capology.

Home Form

Historical Evidence: One of the most accurate indicators of Premier League success is home form. Nine of the last 12 title-winning teams finished the season with the highest home point total, and the other three ranked a close second, separated by a combined total of five points. Collectively, those teams accumulated an average of 48.33 points at home, while conceding less a goal per match. So to have a realistic chance of finishing the season at the top of the table, teams need to take more than 45 points from a possible 57 at their home ground. That means winning at least 14 out of 19 matches while only losing once.

Tottenham Takeaway: Tottenham’s home record last season ranked fifth-worst in the Premier League. They gained an abysmal 21 points at home, just over half of the 39 they earned the previous season when they finished fifth in the league. They had a zero goal differential at Tottenham Stadium, where they won only six of 19 games while conceding 35 goals. Spurs’ profligacy is particularly troubling given that they only conceded 30 away goals last season. Thomas Frank will need to double last season’s home points total to have any chance of qualifying for a European spot next season.

*Data provided by Statmuse.

Goals Conceded

Historical Evidence: Legendary Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant is credited with coining the phrase: “Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.” Although the quote has become something of a cliché, the theory holds true in the Premier League, where half of the last 12 title-winning teams conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League. In fact, no team has lifted the trophy when finishing lower than third in goals allowed. Recent champions have conceded an average of 32.25 goals per season, due in large part to exceptional goalkeeping. Only six shot-stoppers have won the Premier League since 2013-14, and four of them (Petr Čech, Thibaut Courtois, Ederson, Alisson) have been named IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper.

Tottenham Takeaway: Tottenham conceded 65 goals last season, their second-most in the Premier League era. Those woeful numbers can be attributed to injuries that caused starting center-backs Micky van de Ven and Christian Romero to miss 46 games combined. When they played together—including the 3-4 Chelsea debacle when both went off with injuries—the pairing only conceded 19 goals in 18 matches. Spurs defensive structure will be more pragmatic under Thomas Frank than Ange Postecoglou. Guglielmo Vicario will play fewer short passes from goal kicks, while defenders will seldom be seen in the opponent’s box during open play. However, losing Cristian Romero would be catastrophic, and Frank will need to add another defender to cope with the minimum 49-game season that awaits.

Managerial Pedigree

Historical Evidence: What do Manuel Pellegrini, José Mourinho, Claudio Ranieri, Antonio Conte, Roberto Mancini, Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, and Arne Slot all have in common aside from winning the Premier League? They were all title-winning managers in Europe before coming to the Premier League (Ranieri won Serie B), and none of them are British. Nationality aside, the most successful managers know how to cope with grueling league campaigns and knock-out cup competitions, they attract the world’s best players, and they understand which metrics produce the best results. Statistically speaking, their teams typically dominate touches in the penalty area and complete the highest percentage of progressive passes in their opponent's half, per Wyscout.

The rumors linking legendary left winger Son Heung-min with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur have mostly quieted in recent weeks, but Spurs supporters know full and well that the South Korean superstar could be destined to leave this summer with just one year left on his contract.

There is no indication that Daniel Levy and Tottenham will try to push Son to go, and it is important for the captain and clug icon to be able to walk away on his own terms. Since Tottenham won the Europa League in historic fashion with Son as captain and just fired Ange Postecoglou to signify another era for the club, it may be a natural point for Sonny to exit.

Son can cash in one major paycheck before retiring if he moves abroad, and, so far, the kinds of clubs interested are the ones you'd expect to be in on a soon-to-be 33-year-old forward coming off a declining season.

Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in Turkey have both been linked, and now MLS clubs in the United States are beginning to make the rounds as potential landing spots for the former Champions League Finalist.

MLS are still loading up on European stars

According to a report from TBR Football's Graeme Bailey and Jamie Brown, MLS club LAFC have held talks with Son regarding a potential move this summer.

LAFC are one of the biggest clubs in the United States and have signed several high-profile players from top European clubs in recent years. Currently, the Black and Gold Falcons have former Tottenham legend Hugo Lloris in goal. Winger Javairo Dilrosun, formerly of Hertha Berlin and Feyenoord, is another LAFC player with a European pedigree, though he is on loan from Liga MX's Club America.

Clearly, LAFC have the money to acquire Son, and they are as ambitious as ever at landing big stars from Europe, given the likes of Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez have set up shop as the Barcelona Retirement Tribute Band in Miami.

It's anyone's guess as to what Son will want to do next season, and there's a case to be made for and against the nearly 33-year-old staying. By staying, Son can help the team with leadership and quality in the Champions League, but leaving would give the club some money and allow them to get a head start on replacing the legend, perhaps with Mathys Tel stepping into the starting role full-time.

If he doesn't turn things around in a big way this month, Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy could have a lot of explaining to do by the time the 2025/26 Premier League season starts up, because Spurs are getting roundly beaten to all of their top targets on the summer transfer market this year.

First, Tottenham took too long to even get their window started after waffling on the decision to fire Ange Postecoglou, canning him just when fans thought the hesitation was an indication that Postecoglou would stay after bringing the Europa League title back to N17.

Then, Tottenham struck out on two key players new manager Thomas Frank wanted. They missed out on star right winger Bryan Mbeumo, who will almost certainly join Manchester United largely because Daniel Levy won't spend to get him. They even missed out on Christian Norgaard, the key midfield leader and defensive cover agent for Frank at Brentford, as he immediatley joined forces with bitter rivals Arsenal once they showed interest.

There are other targets Tottenham have missed out on this summer, but getting beat to Norgaard by the Gunners was more than a tad embarrassing. And now, Tottenham are about to lose out on another player for a London club to the Gunners after previously viewing him as their top transfer target before cooling their interest because, once again, the player wasn't cheap enough for Levy's stringent standards.

Arsenal are making fast headway again

According to Fabrizio Romano, Crystal Palace star attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, fresh off leading his Eagles to the FA Cup title, has "opened doors" to joining Arsenal this summer in a "clear" manner and is now "open" to joining the Gunners because he is "attracted" by the project.

Just as the Norgaard to Arsenal move developed quickly, perhaps Eze's transfer within London to the Gunners will, too, turning a potential local hero into a versatile rival who can hurt Spurs from either wing or even supplant Martin Odegaard as the Gunners' star in the attacking midfield.

Tottenham fans understand that Eze is pricy with a 68 million pound release clause, but watching him destroy Spurs head-to-head as a Gunner would cost even more, especially if the FA Cup winner becomes a Premier League winner with Arsenal.

Of course, a splashy move for an attacking midfielder like Eze could always backfire, and the real test here will be how Tottenham respond if Arsenal nab the player they once pursued. There are other midfield options who are arguably better, like Xavi Simons, but missing out on a proven Premier League talent will always sting for Spurs supporters, especially if Arsenal are involved.

Tottenham Hotspur have been cycling through rumored attacking transfer targets at a rapid pace this summer, and Spurs supporters have to be worried, given the track record of this club under the "guidance" of Daniel Levy, that they will simply come up empty-handed.

Already, Tottenham have struck out on their top two right winger options in Brentford and Bournemouth breakout stars Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo, and they have recently cooled their interest in previous top target Eberechi Eze.

That's three proven Premier League starters in the attack whom Tottenham were closely linked with who are no longer on their radar. Eze may still but, but it's abundantly clear that he's no longer anywhere near a priority for Levy and Co.

Now, it appears boom-or-bust West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus is the main catch on the minds of Tottenham Hotspur this summer, as they are hoping to buy him at a lower price than his 85 million pound release clause after Kudus turned in a stinker of a 2024/25 season for the Hammers.

Tottenham are actually negotiating with a good player

According to Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, Tottenham have made contacts for Kudus and are in ongoing talks to sign the talented 24-year-old, who is himself keen to make the switch to a bigger London club that just won the Europa League. Per Fab, Spurs are pushing for this transfer to happen, and they specifically want to make this move with Thomas Frank in mind.

So far, Frank has gotten none of what he's wanted. Tottenham backed out of the Mbeumo race early, and then they lost out on an even easier-to-sign Brentford favorite of the Danish coach's, as Arsenal poached Christian Norgaard from right under Tottenham's noses. And they haven't even showed interest in Brentford star striker Yoane Wissa after his 19-goal season.

Tottenham are going to have to sign someone for Frank, who has worked magic with so many talented attackers at Brentford like Kevin Schade, Mikel Damsgaard, Ivan Toney, and then Wissa and Mbeumo in their major breakouts last season (39 combined goals).

Tottenham's supposed interest in Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze has been played down by the reputable David Ornstein, who confirmed Arsenal's intrigue in the Englishman.

It's been a quiet start to the summer for Spurs, who have so far confirmed the permanent arrivals of Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso but little else. With our 'Big Six' rivals already busy, some supporters have quickly grown impatient.

However, July 1 represents the start of a new financial year, and some suspect we may begin to enjoy an uptick in summer transfer activity. There's also been time for new manager Thomas Frank to assess potential targets ahead of his first season in charge.

If reports are to be believed, we're certainly in the market for a wide forward this summer, and multiple Premier League stars are on the club's radar. Palace protagonist Eze is the utopia for many, and it initially appeared that we'd finally make our move following years of flirtation.

Tottenham's lack of Eberechi Eze interest must point towards alternative plan

Eze reportedly has a £68m release clause inserted into his Palace contract, and the Eagles' supposed willingness to accept this fee in instalments seemingly increased the likelihood of a Spurs pursuit this summer.

And while there's certainly been interest from north London, the latest intrigue is instead arriving from Arsenal, not Spurs. There were murmurs of Gooner interest brewing last week, and The Athletic's Ornstein has confirmed the news.

He writes that Eze is a player our fiercest rivals are considering, but no contact has yet been made with Palace. Significantly, Ornstein also added that Eze 'is not a player Tottenham Hotspur have targeted to date'.

That report would contradict much of what has been written at the start of the summer window, but it must surely point towards an alternative plan in N17. The Athletic also reported our enquiry for Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo and the interest in reuniting Frank with Bryan Mbeumo, but it's Mohammed Kudus who seems to have emerged as priority number one.

Spurs have started talks with the West Ham star, who Fabrizio Romano reports is 'open' to joining. The Hammers are believed to be willing to let Kudus leave for considerably less than his £85m release clause, but other clubs remain in the race. Chelsea scare me. They've done it to us before, and their spending/accumulation of players knows no bounds.

If Arsenal were to sign Eze, the addition of dribbling maestro Kudus would certainly soften the blow.

Tottenham Hotspur didn't begin their summer 2025 transfer business until they made an official decision on Ange Postecoglou, hiring Brentford's Thomas Frank to replace the beloved Europa League winner.

Their first transfer target was Bryan Mbeumo, but they didn't pursue the 20-goal breakout star particularly hard, letting Frank's star pupil go without much of a fight to Manchester United instead of fully backing Frank on that signing.

Then, Tottenham turned their attention to Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze after his FA Cup-winning heroics for the Eagles, but, now, Spurs don't seem to be interested in the attacking midfielder with rumors linking the club to the English international pretty much reaching a standstill.

Now, it appears the new flavor of the week at N17 is West Ham standout Mohammed Kudus, who is coming off a season for the Hammers that was far from a standout one, possibly because the ex-Ajax prospect no longer wants to play for a totally hapless and dysfunctional organization.

The player all the big London clubs want

With an 85 million pound release clause, Kudus has garnered interest from virtually every big club in the Premier League, including Tottenham's arch London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, but Spurs could potentially sign the high-upside, versatile forward for significantly cheaper than that.

According to a report from The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, there's a belief that West Ham would be open to selling Kudus to Tottenham (or another club) for as little as 60 million pounds. While that's still quite the chunk of change for a player who hasn't really set it off in the Premier League yet in terms of end product, it is significantly cheaper than his release clause - and also cheaper than what Spurs would have paid for Bryan Mbeumo or right winger alternative Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth fame.

Kudus is also younger than those players at 24, even if he is no longer a prospect. But in a way, Kudus is a prospect, because he's not gotten the chance to show what he can do in the Premier League due to a poor situation in West Ham that includes a revolving door of managers and no real midfield structure behind him.

Tottenham Hotspur need to sign attacking game-changers this summer in order to improve from a 17th-placed finish in the Premier League last season and prepare themselves for a grueling campaign ahead after achieving a return to the Champions League, where attacking quality is at a premium.

After striking out on Bryan Mbeumo, Tottenham need to create a new list of winger targets, as the wings are the biggest position of need for Spurs. Even if Son Heung-min spends the last season of his contract in North London, Tottenham need another player on either wings, since Mathys Tel isn't ready to take on the full load yet and Dejan Kulusevski isn't offering enough goal threat.

With Mbeumo almost certainly headed to Manchester United, all eyes are on the alternatives. When it comes to right wingers, Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has long been tabbed as the main "Plan B" to Mbeumo after a strong breakout campaign of his own, and Tottenham are used to doing business with the Cherries, having purchased 2023/24's Premier League breakout star Dominic Solanke from them. And Solanke did play a crucial role in Spurs winnin the Europa League.

Tottenham don't want to make a worse version of the Solanke signing

But it looks like Tottenham won't make another expensive purchase from Bournemouth this summer. Per a report from talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs, Tottenham have recused themselves from the Semenyo proceedings, as they are no longer interested in the player and will not show future interest in the young winger unless if Bournemouth lower their current asking price of 65 million pounds.

It makes sense for Tottenham not to want to make a similarly expensive purchase as Solanke for a player who scored 11 goals and 5 assists last season. While Semenyo is relatively young at the age of 25, he's not exactly a prospect and wouldn't have much resale value at the end of the contract, making Bournemouth asking that much for an 11-goal winger a little ridiculous when Mbeumo is going for a similar amount after registering 20 goals and 7 assists for Brentford last season.

Semenyo being off the list isn't a terrible decision from Tottenham, even if Semenyo is a dynamic wide player, but it does raise the question of who the alternative will be. Right now, the only player who jumps out is Mohmmaed Kudus of West Ham, a bounce-back candidate who could actually be slightly cheaper than Semenyo with twice the upside as a player.

When Tottenham Hotspur hired Thomas Frank as their Ange Postecoglou replacement and unofficially opened their business for the summer transfer window, there was a widespread expectation that the North London giants would focus on signing Bryan Mbeumo as their main transfer target.

With Frank interested in continuing his work with the biggest breakout star of the last Premier League season, there was optimism that Tottenham would compete with Manchester United for Mbeumo and potentially be able to entice the right winger after both beating the Red Devils in the Europa League Final and hiring Mbeumo's former manager.

Instead, Tottenham backed out of the Mbeumo race, essentially handing him on a platter to Man United. They then seemed to pivot to Crystal Palace star attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, fresh off an FA Cup-winning season, as their marquee signing of the transfer window to help support Frank.

Tottenham are going hard for Kudus now

It looks like Tottenham aren't going down the Eze rabbit hole after all. According to a report from The Times, Tottenham have cooled their interest in Eze and are currently considering three players: West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus, Bournemouth right winger Antoine Semenyo, and RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons.

Of this trio, only Kudus appears to be a serious target for Tottenham currently. Spurs have also seemed to be lukewarm on Semenyo due to his exorbitant price tag from the Cherries, who, of course, sold Dominic Solanke to Tottenham last summer for a whopping 65 million pounds. Simons is a wild card, but if Tottenham were unwilling to spend on Mbeumo and Eze, then why would they spend on Simons? It's hard to trust Daniel Levy there, even though Simons is the best of those players.

Eze is a proven commodity in the Premier League, but there are legitimate cons to signing him. He is very expensive with a 68 million pound release clause, and Tottenham already have a top attacking midfielder in James Maddison with additional options who can start as playmakers.

Spurs mostly need help on the front line, specifically the wings, especially if Son Heung-min goes. Eze can play on the wings, true, but he isn't a preferred option as a starter in those spots. Tottenham haven't removed Eze from their wishlist, but after seemingly going hard for him in the last couple of weeks, they have abruptly pivoted to Kudus. It looks like either Frank or someone else at the club got cold feet or simply preferred Kudus and the other options.

It's been a slow start to the summer transfer window for Tottenham, but the club are hoping to make an important move in regards to one of their prized teenage starlets.

There was plenty of buzz surrounding Mikey Moore entering 2024/25, with clips of his brilliance while performing for successful Spurs and England youth teams doing the rounds on social media.

Supporters clamoured for Moore to get a taste of senior action during Ange Postecoglou's second season in charge, and the exuberant winger certainly made the most of his opportunities. He made 21 appearances in all competitions, including ten in the Premier League, with his sole goal arriving in a Europa League victory over Elfsborg, when fellow academy graduates Dane Scarlett and Damola Ajayi also found the back of the net.

It was an easing into the highest level for Moore, no doubt, but there are nonetheless high hopes that the 17-year-old can blossom into the next big thing to have been nurtured and developed in N17.

Tottenham in talks to extend Mikey Moore's contract

The 17-year-old is a magnetic talent, whose aesthetic is Jack Grealish-like. He's a scrappy but seemingly inevitable ball-carrier with an eye for goal. His performance against AZ Alkmaar during the league phase of our successful Europa League campaign felt like the night when Moore announced himself to a wider audience, with James Maddison comparing him to Neymar post-match.

A rather mysterious illness inhibited him for a chunk of the season thereafter, limiting his game time during the second half of the campaign. Still, Moore is a starlet with the capacity to evolve into something quite special, and the club are aiming to keep the teenager around for the long haul.

Football London reports that Spurs have already offered Moore a new contract to replace the deal that expires in 2027. Negotiations are ongoing.

Senior players and former boss Postecogloug have spoken glowingly of the kid, who has garnered interest from Juventus. Moreover, clubs are keeping a watchful eye on what Thomas Frank decides to do with the teenager. A loan away could be the move next season, with Spurs already sending the aforementioned Ajayi to Doncaster for 2025/26.

Moore's distinct talent means Frank's decision is a significant one, given Spurs' struggles to bring through their own in the aftermath of Harry Kane's emergence. Harry Winks blossomed into an England international before fading, while Oliver Skipp enjoyed moderate success. Otherwise, the club's academy, seemingly rejuvenated by Fabio Paratici, has struggled to make an impact at the highest level.