Son Heung-min is set to leave Tottenham after making his desire for a new challenge clear. After spending 10 years with the north London side, the winger will depart, expected to join Los Angeles FC; it will bring a welcome end to the thorn in Arsenal’s side the forward has been.
Speaking after his final appearance for the club, coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 win over Arsenal in Hong Kong, Son gave clarity on his future. “I just want to share the information that I have decided to leave this club this summer. Respectfully, this club is helping me to make my decision.”
There is little doubt that, even in Son’s twilight years, there will be a sigh of relief from the red and white half of north London. Son’s record against the Gunners was damaging, and there were some infamous moments between the sides.
From costing Arsenal qualification for the Champions League to missing a one-on-one chance against Manchester City, which might have won the Gunners the league in 2024, Son managed to score nine times and add four assists in his 22 games against Arsenal.
Arsenal did have a stronger record than Spurs when Son played, with 10 wins, six losses, and six draws. However, the games where Arsenal failed to win with Son involved often saw the South Korean international have a decisive say in the result.
He wouldn’t score against Arsenal until the 10th time of asking, a 2-1 win in 2020 as Jose Mourinho faced Mikel Arteta for the first time. However, it would be the 3-0 win in 2022 that was the most damaging for the Gunners.
With anything other than a defeat all but qualifying Arsenal for the Champions League, Antonio Conte’s side pulled off a three-goal win, with Son both scoring and assisting in the victory. Arsenal would lose their next match to Newcastle and, in front of the Amazon Prime documentary cameras, lose the race for the top four.
Since then, however, Arsenal have not lost to Spurs, with five wins and one draw, a 2-2 which saw Son score both goals. Like Harry Kane, seeing Son leave is a boost for Arsenal as Thomas Frank now takes over to see whether he can change the course of the side’s trend down the table to 17th last season.
The transfer nightmare of both Kane and Son leaving has finally arrived for Spurs. However, they still have the capacity to spend in the market after a failed move for Morgan Gibbs-White, but there could already be signs of internal solutions.
Wilson Odobert impressed in his showing against the Gunners in Hong Kong, and so they might have a ready-made replacement. Arsenal play Tottenham on November 22th at the Emirates Stadium in the first meeting between the pair for the new campaign.
Learn more
