CHEERS, SON’S CRYING
Due in no small part to their peerless work in the field of curing the ills of struggling and out-of-sorts opponents in need of a fillip, few Spurs fans would be sorry to see the back of Dr Tottenham if he ever decides to leave their club. But on Sunday in Seoul, during a pre-season friendly between the Bigger Vase champions and Newcastle, there was scarcely a dry eye in the house as Tottenham and their South Korean supporters’ branch bade an emotional farewell to a player who, over the past decade, has to all intents and purposes become Mr Tottenham. Substituted after 65 minutes of the 1-1 draw, an emotional Son Heung-min received warm hugs and a guard of honour from both his teammates and the players of Newcastle before retiring to the substitutes’ bench for a little weep. After 10 years of service, one of the most popular, high-performance and low-maintenance players to ever grace the Premier League is off to ply his trade in MLS with LAFC and an English football landscape so often synonymous with spittle-flecked and snarling rage will be considerably poorer for the absence of his trademark beatific beam.
“I didn’t think I was going to cry at first but after hearing a few words from my teammates, leaving the club I’ve spent so much time with felt really tough,” he sobbed. “I felt really, really happy playing this match. Thanks to my fans, my teammates and also my opponents, I’ve had an unforgettable day. My career is not over yet, and I want to continue to bring joy. I know I have more things I want to accomplish as a football player.” In his 454 appearances for Spurs, the man they call Son accomplished plenty. He scored 173 goals and provided 101 assists but such metrics don’t come even close to measuring his contribution to the club’s cause. On the pitch a graceful, lightning fast predator with the cold eye of an assassin, Son lifted Tottenham’s first trophy in 16 years last season and at other points during his time in north London, won a Puskás Award and shared a golden boot.
In arguably his greatest act of personal selflessness for the benefit of the greater Tottenham Hotspur good, he also made a complete dog’s breakfast of that one-on-one with Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega to deny Arsenal the title two seasons ago. Off the pitch, it has long been apparent that Son is that rare breed of elite footballer who few people, except perhaps Arsenal fans in whose collective side he has been a constant thorn, has a bad word to say about. Among those shedding salty tears in Seoul was Ben Davies, the similarly long-serving Spurs player who is so close to the departing South Korean that – try saying this without slurring after a skinful – his son is Son’s godson. “I saw my good friend Ben Davies cry,” said Son in the post-match interview. “Seeing him tearing up with his eyes going all red made me feel sorry and thankful at the same time. A mixture of feelings really but as the godfather of his son, I need to strive for more, to make my godson proud.”
While Son’s rigid adherence to his duties as a moral guardian are to be commended, Football Daily is prepared to wager that as long as he remembers to pony up the obligatory readies each and every birthday, Davies Jr is unlikely to give two hoots whether or not he ever kicks a football again. “Sonny is Tottenham and Tottenham is Sonny,” declared James Maddison before the friendly, a game in which the midfielder was carried off the field on a stretcher after suffering a bad case of knee-knack. “It’s weird to think about Tottenham Hotspur without Son.” For those who continue to pass in and out of the gates of the Spurs training complex, it will also be weird not to see the small gaggle of South Koreans who regularly convene on the Enfield outskirts hoping to get a smile, a kind word or a selfie as Son comes and goes from training. Exceedingly rare were the days, by all accounts, when the subject of their unbridled adoration failed to oblige them.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
We didn’t want to finish [our USA USA USA tour] in this way. Our performance wasn’t the best and we were a little bit lazy today. We want to avoid that because with laziness you can pay at any moment. [The squad’s quality] is improving. But it’s not the place it needs to be. It was crystal clear we needed more competition… hopefully we can get one or two players more” – Bruno Fernandes warms up for the new season with a familiarly downbeat refrain about Manchester United after a 2-2 draw with similarly underpowered Everton in Atlanta. They did win the Premier League Summer Series, mind. So cheer up, Bruno.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
If ever the Ineos Grenadiers’ head carer needed evidence that he wasn’t involved in any performance enhancement shenanigans (Friday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition), working at Manchester United last year should prove it beyond reasonable doubt” – Jim Hearson.
I see Norwich have signed midfielder Mirko Topic. Does he come with a hazelnut in every biting tackle?” – Darian Boyd.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day is … Jim Hearson, who lands some Football Weekly merch. Terms and conditions for our competitions are here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning and the Football Weekly pod squad to discuss Son Heung-min’s Tottenham farewell and the return of the Football League.
RECOMMENDED BOOKING
On Thursday 11 September, join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and a host of your other Football Weekly favourites live on stage for an evening of unfiltered football punditry at Troxy in London and livestreamed globally. Book now.
TRAINING DAY?
Alexander Isak is back in Newcastle after trying and (seemingly) failing in his first attempt to force through a move to Liverpool by going awol and training at his former club Real Sociedad. We assumed he would throw on a tracksuit and immediately join his teammates on Tyneside for the bleep test. But nope. “You have to earn the right to train with us,” growled Eddie Howe. “We are Newcastle United. The player has a responsibility here to be part of a team and part of a squad – you have to act in the right way. So that is also at play here. We will make sure that any player does that to earn the right to train with the group. No player can expect to act poorly and train with the group as normal.” So what now, then? Maybe he could sing every word of the The Blaydon Races while necking Newcy Brown on the Bigg Market to prove his geordie credentials. Or perhaps he could get a huge tattoo of Jackie Milburn on his right calf muscle. Failing that, he may as well join another former club to get himself fit. Dortmund would be happy to see him again.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Fifa is facing a multibillion-pound claim for compensation from a group of former players after last year’s ruling by the European court of justice that its transfer rules are unlawful.
Thomas Partey is close to joining Villarreal in the week he appears in court after being charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault last month, which he denies.
David Luiz, 78, is back in Europe and Bigger Cup baby, after signing for Pafos FC in Cyprus.
Spanish police have been forced to rush in and break up fighting between around 100 fans who attacked each other during a friendly between Canary Islands rivals CD Tenerife and UD Las Palmas.
The proper action has kicked off north of the border. Celtic left it late to nick a win over St Mirren while Dundee’s new boss Steven Pressley started with a home defeat to Hibs. Here’s your roundup. Meanwhile, Russell Martin wasn’t exactly chuffed with his Rangers players in Saturday’s draw at Motherwell.
Lionel Messi has had to exit Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup clash with Necaxa after suffering an apparent case of hamstring-twang in the opening stages.
Everton have raised their bid for Tyler Dibling to about £40m and opened talks with Chelsea over signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as they attempt to ease David Moyes out of his transfer funk.
And Chelsea have completed the £37m signing of 19-year-old Ajax defender Jorrel Hato – and they haven’t yet sent him out on loan anywhere.
STILL WANT MORE?
The first of our Premier League previews have landed. Yikes! Ed Aarons delves into Arsenal’s chances of shaking off that always-the-bridesmaid tag. And here’s the second one, too – Ben Fisher running the rule over Aston Villa.
Tottenham to swoop for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo as a replacement for Son? Gonçalo Ramos to fill the Alexander Isak-shaped void at Newcastle? The Rumour Mill keeps on turning.
It’s time for the suits to step up and invest further in women’s football to truly protect the Lionesses’ legacy, argues Kelly Simmons.
The release of BBC Archive footage from the 1993 programme On The Line reveals the sense of crisis in English football has never been far away, writes John Brewin.
“If I had a fashionable name or I were a fashionable manager, I think I’d have got more acknowledgment.” Enjoy this Donald McRae chat with Neil Warnock. But enjoy it by being disciplined.
And Pep Guardiola’s weariness was palpable in a recent GQ interview and Jonathan Wilson believes 17 years at the very top of management is starting to take its tall on the Manchester City head honcho.
MEMORY LANE
11 August 1972: Charlie George takes his seat for Arsenal’s 1972-73 season team photo. He was not given a shirt number because he had not yet signed a new contract. He put pen to paper soon after and remained on the books at the Gunners until 1975, when he left to join Derby County.
