Son Heung-min: Not Considering Contract Extension Talks for Now; Too Many Games Are Unfair to Players

In the first round of the Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur will face FK Qarabağ. Ahead of the match, Tottenham’s captain Son Heung-min attended a press conference where he discussed the issue of too many games and also addressed contract extension talks.

Son Heung-min said, “As one of the few remaining players from the Champions League final squad, helping Tottenham win a European trophy is my dream, which I don’t need to hide. This is what we are striving for. It’s very tough, it’s a tough competition with many games and travels, making the situation even more difficult.”

A reporter then asked whether the congested schedule might lower the quality of matches. Son Heung-min responded, “Many players have spoken up with the right opinions. It’s important that someone says the right things, and sometimes players must be the ones to speak up. There are indeed too many games. As football fans who love the sport, they want to see high-quality matches, not as many games as possible. They don’t want to see players struggling with injuries… We must take care of ourselves, but this is hard. We’re not robots. We should take care of ourselves, but reducing the number of games and improving their quality should also be a goal.”

When asked, “Which competitions would you not want to participate in?” Son Heung-min replied, “Don’t misunderstand, we love playing football, that’s clear. But it’s about the additional travel and having to play more games. It’s not just about the games, but also mental and physical preparation, a lot of work… That’s what we mean, everyone has a high risk of injury, which is unfair. Rodri was right when he said we play 50 to 60 games, no more than 70, which is unfair.”

Would Son Heung-min consider striking? The South Korean player said, “We hope to reach the (Europa League) final and play more games, but that’s another situation. However, the current system involves playing more games, which is not conducive to taking care of players. What we can do is change it in a positive way so that people can take care of players. Solving this problem is not the responsibility of the players. When the game starts, players must show up. There’s the FA and FIFA, everyone must take this seriously, not just a few players speaking out.”

Talking about contract extension talks, Son Heung-min said, “What progress has been made on the contract extension? I haven’t talked to the club about anything yet. For me, I am very focused on this season. At this age, every second feels like a goal. Especially this season, we have many games to play, which I care about even more. I just want to focus entirely on the present, on this season, and want to win something, to win what everyone at the club, every player, every fan deserves, that’s what I’m working towards. You never know what will happen in the future, but I’ll make sure to give everything for the club, and I’ve done so for nearly ten years. Let’s wait and see. I still have a contract with the club, and that’s the most important thing. I just want to give it my all within the duration of this contract.”