Class act Son Heung-min explains why he was ‘so sad’ about Mourinho exit

Heung-min Son, Jose_.Mourinho

Son Heung-min believes it is “really sad” that Jose Mourinho did not win a trophy at Tottenham and described him as still being among the best in the world.

Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham last month after a sharp downturn in form. They topped the table briefly earlier in the season and were outside contenders for the title. However, they went on an alarming slump and a top-four finish now looks unlikely.

Spurs dismissed Mourinho shortly before their Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. The timing of the decision appeared strange, when many thought the reason he had been holding onto his job was because of that upcoming event.

Tottenham went on to lose that final under interim boss Ryan Mason, meaning their long wait for silverware continues.

Their next manager will try to reverse their fortunes, but so far, it is unclear whom that may be. As things stand, the Spurs squad are simply working to close out the season strongly under Mason.

But some have still been reflecting on the exit of Mourinho. Son is the latest player to have spoken up about his departure.

One of the players who flourished most under the Portuguese tactician, Son gave a candid view about Mourinho’s time in north London.

“It’s always sad if someone lose the day job,” Son told TV3 Sport (via HITC). “Having worked with him for 17 or 18 months, it’s been up and down it’s been good and sometimes we’ve been not so good.

“I think for me and my memory he will still be one of the best managers in the world.

“It’s just so sad that he didn’t go with success. It was really sad because he is the guy that wins everything.

“It was the only team that he wasn’t successful, so I feel really sorry about this kind of thing.”


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Son has scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists in the Premier League this season, from 33 appearances. Mourinho was his manager for 14 of those goals and nine of those assists.

He doesn’t seem to have been too affected by Mourinho’s exit on the pitch, though. He recorded an assist for one of the goals of Gareth Bale’s hat-trick against Sheffield United on Sunday before scoring in spectacular style himself.

New deal close for Son

Ryan Mason, Son Heung-min Man City v Tottenham April 2021

Son remains under contract until 2023 but reports late last month indicated he could be close to extending that deal.

The Daily Star reported that he was in the closing stages of negotiations, even though the future of his strike partner Harry Kane remains unclear.

The former Bayer Leverkusen frontman is expected to pen to paper on a deal that has been on the table since September.

Prior to talk of the new contract there had been rumours of Son moving on this summer.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were both rumoured to have had an interest. However, it now looks like the 28-year-old will be extending his stay in England for some years to come.

READ MORELevy to give next Tottenham boss green light to make major transfer decision