‘Not a leader’ Son Heung-min destroyed by pundit but Tottenham fans hit back in droves

Rob McCarthy 14 Feb 2025 1:06 PM

Pundit wants Son Heung-min stripped of Tottenham captaincy

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has issued a damning verdict of Son Heung-min’s leadership qualities and called for him to be stripped of the captaincy straight away, a sentiment not shared by many of the club’s loyal supporters.

Spurs crashed out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the space of just four days and did so without much of a whimper, as Liverpool and Aston Villa dropped their hopes of silverware this season down to just the Europa League.

Yes, it’s common knowledge that injuries have played a massive part in Tottenham‘s struggles this season but O’Hara insists that Son is not helping by his failure to lead from the front.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s big Premier League clash with Manchester United, O’Hara, who has also been heavily critical of the South Korean’s declining form on numerous occasions this season, told Grosvenor Sport: “When you look at Tottenham’s two recent games — Liverpool and Aston Villa in the cup—this was the moment to show that they could compete.

“Unfortunately, they’ve shown the complete opposite. There’s no fight, no heart, no desire, and certainly no leadership.

“For me, that lack of leadership comes from the manager and the captain. I hate to say it, but Son Heung-Min is not the right captain for this team anymore. He’s a fantastic player, an incredible servant to the club, but when it comes to pulling the team together in tough moments, he’s not the one to step up.

“A captain should be someone who can lead from the front, someone who can grab the team by the scruff of the neck and get the team out of a hole. Son isn’t that. It’s time to take the captaincy off him and give it to someone else.”

The 32-year-old’s levels have dropped this season, although his stats are hardly disastrous with 10 goals and assists in 33 total appearances. However, he does not have that same burst of speed or the clinical edge to his finishing he once had.

Tottenham fans hit back over Son slamming

Despite his struggles this term, Son maintains the support of a majority of Spurs fans for the incredible service has given the club since 2015.

The attacker has scored 172 goals and provided 92 assists in 441 games for Tottenham to earn legendary status and loyal fans will not forget that any time soon time soon.

Indeed, reacting after the Liverpool debacle and prior to the FA Cup loss to Villa, many of them jumped to the defence of Son.

Writing on reddit, user SSGPz said: “Our fans need to experience what really happens if Son’s off the pitch and not available. Some people don’t realize how valuable it is to have a player who maintained his health through this injury crisis.

“Him not finding goals are often from the setup Ange has and the lack of playing style knowledge from the fullback or the left mid attacker. When son holds the ball to the left, the fullbacks should not be running in towards the goal (bringing the defenders in front of Son preventing any good angles to shoot), instead they need to widen towards the corners, allowing son or any midfielders to use the open half space.

VegasLukeWarm added: “His stats arent even that bad. He cant run like he used to but hes played fine considering all the injuries

Meanwhile, 0dogg stated: So many “supporters” s******* on him…without considering he hasn’t been injured and continues to play every game without rest. Not to mention that mere inches over the past two seasons have been the difference between top-tier and “washed.”

Finally, Key-Performer1828 said: “It is my opinion but I think many of injured who are the so called best XI of spurs do not desire to play for this season any more. Instead, they’ll stay on the injury list, recover and preserve their form, and either come back for the next season or hoping to move to another club. Son is too naive to do that. He will run to the ground like a work horse until a serious injury, either out of his naive and stubborn personality, or due to his vain idea of loyalty and being an honorable captain.”

Latest Tottenham news: Spurs eye double Bundesliga deal / Defender return mooted

Spurs are reportedly keen to sign Bundesliga pair Hugo Larsson and Piero Hincapie this summer, although the pack of sides who want both is said to be growing.

Spurs have been keen on the signing of Hincapie for both of the past two years. They reportedly lodged a bid for him in 2024, and were back towards the head of the pack for him in 2024.

And, according to fresh reports, they are once again among the suitors for the Bayer Leverkusen defender, who is valued by his club at at least €70million (£58.3m/$73m).

But the Ecuadorian is not the only Bundesliga man on their radar, with Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Larsson also courted by the north London outfit.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have again been backed to re-sign one of their former players in the summer, with his current club ‘resigned’ to losing their man.