A Korean journalist has now spoken about the increasing concerns about Heung-min Son back in his homeland, while sources from inside Tottenham are also worried about the forward’s demeanour this season.
Heung-min Son enters the final year of his contract at Tottenham this summer, and given the forward’s struggles, some are starting to wonder if the happy marriage between him and Spurs has run its course.
Various reports over recent weeks have suggested that Spurs are ready to listen to offers for Son in the summer.
However, despite the speculation doing the rounds, Ange Postecoglou continues to defend captain Son publicly. The Australian has dismissed concerns over his form and insisted that the Tottenham man remains among the elite forwards in the Premier League.
Concerns over Heung-min Son’s body language at Tottenham
A report in ESPN now claims there are concerns over the fact that the forward has looked downbeat and has not had the smile on his face that we have come to expect.
The outlet quoted one source from Tottenham as saying: “Maybe the main concern is not that Sonny isn’t scoring, it is that he isn’t smiling.”
Rachel Hur, who works for Korean newspaper Sports Dong-A, also revealed to the publication that back in Son’s homeland, many are alarmed by the fact that the former Bayer Leverkusen man does not look happy.
Hur said: “We speak to him after games and he hasn’t been smiling and jolly with us for quite a long time now. Especially this season, I can’t remember the last time he was his comfortable self. It is quite worrying.
“Many Korean people have become Tottenham fans because of Son. Everyone wants to see him happy and enjoying his football. There are a lot of cameras on him and if he’s looking a little bit sad, people start worrying what’s happened to him.
“For Korean people, Manchester United used to be the most popular team because of Park Ji-Sung. Now it is Spurs. A lot of the country is worried about him and his form. For many years, they just want him to lift a trophy so he has something to show for his career.”
Korean public not happy with Tottenham’s contract decision
It raised some eyebrows when Spurs decided to activate the one-year extension in Son’s contract earlier in his season rather than handing him a long-term deal.
Reports over recent weeks have claimed that the decision-makers at Tottenham feel their decision on Son’s contract has been vindicated in light of the forward’s form. However, Hur revealed that it has not gone down well in South Korea.
When asked if Son is hoping to sign off from Spurs with a Europa League trophy this summer, the journalist said: “That’s the one topic he hasn’t opened up about, even before. When there’s a contract situation, he rarely speaks about it.
“With the contract situation, it was half-and-half in Korea — some wanted him to stay at Spurs, lift that trophy everyone wants and retire there — but a lot of fans aren’t happy with the way Spurs didn’t offer him a longer deal.
“He’s there next season, but a lot of people felt this is his one last chance of a long contract. There’s a lot of talk about Barcelona too. We don’t know how true that is of whether he has one more club in him.”