Son Heung-min father claims ‘crisis’ coming for Tottenham star without major changes, including exit hint

The father of Tottenham forward Son Heung-min has claimed that his son must work harder to maintain his top form and avoid a “crisis”.

The South Korea international has gone under the radar in the eyes of some observers for some time now. And the voices of those claiming he is underrated have become louder after last season.

Son earned a share of the Premier League’s Golden Boot, scoring 23 goals alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. Unlike Salah, though, Son did not score any penalties.

Salah made it into the PFA’s Premier League Team of the Year, but Son didn’t.

According to his father, though, Son must work much harder and even hinted that he may have to leave to maintain his top form.

“He must work harder and make more progress,” Son Woong-jung told reporters.

“If he is satisfied with what he has achieved now, crisis is on the way. He must always try to do better to stay in the best form, don’t you think? Instead of being happy to stay where he is, I always want him to be 10 percent better.

“He must be able to play a solid role in one of the world’s top clubs. That’s when he will become a world class player.

“Like I said before, he must do 10 percent better on every front to reach that goal.”

Son 323 games for Tottenham since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, scoring 131 goals.

Son a Tottenham driving force

Before scoring his 24 goals overall last season, he netted 22 times in 51 games last season.

He subsequently earned a new contract last summer and his terms run until the summer of 2025.

In the recent 2021/22 campaign, he proved a major driving force in helping Tottenham return to the Champions League with a top-four Premier League finish.

It is testament to Son that he has been a star under every manager who has led the mostly-inconsistent Tottenham team in recent seasons.

Son Heung-min about more than just goals

But as well as his goals, 29-year-old Son has also established a penchant for assisting.

His partnership with Harry Kane up front is in fact the most prolific in Premier League history.

Son has made his mark in the Premier League, but now he can look forward to stamping his mark on the Champions League too.

Son starred in the competition in 2018/19 as Spurs reached the final. In the 2019/20 campaign, though, Tottenham exited in the group stages.

Now, though, Son and Kane have a chance to enjoy more Champions League games and advance their careers further.