Heung-Min Son has been named the AFC Asian International Player of the Year for 2023 – the fourth time he has claimed the honour.
Widely regarded as the greatest player to hail from Asia, Sonny has continued to shine on the world stage for South Korea and in our colours – and his efforts have been rewarded with his fourth title.
Previously a winner of the award in 2015, 2017 and 2019, the Korean’s consistency at the highest level has seen him recognised once more in the continental awards.
Made our captain by Ange Postecoglou ahead of the 2023/24 season, our number seven had a fine first campaign under our Head Coach in which he was involved in 27 goals in just 35 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 17 and assisting 10.
It was a season also full of milestones for Sonny. Not only did he reach the landmark of 400 appearances – just the 14th player to do so in our 142-year history – he also moved into our top five goalscorers of all time. Later in the campaign he also moved passed 300 appearances for us in the Premier League – something only two other players have done for us in our history.
This term, he has also moved into the Premier League’s top 20 goalscorers of all time with 123 goals in 309 appearances in the competition.
On the international stage he has also shown his quality. Also captain of his country, the forward reached the landmark of 125 caps back in March. He now has 129 caps and 49 goals for Korea.
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Tottenham Hotspur had been subject to extensive links with a move to bring Conor Gallagher in the past summer transfer window, with Ange postecoglou having identified the England international as an ideal player for his style and someone who can make massive impact at White Hart Lane. The Cobham graduate was linked with Spurs since the Australian head coach took over the reins at N17, and that showed how the club believed the 24-year-old to be the right personnel to take over the reins in North London.
Gallagher would have brought that grind into the midfield, complemented by his technical prowess in the middle of the park.
Wages stumble Spurs’ Gallagher pursuit
However, with how things worked out, the North Londoners could not land his signatures, with the England international eventually moving to Atletico Madrid, and Tottenham insider paul o keefe has come out with the exacts of the reasons behind Spurs not eventually signing the 24-year-old. He insists that Tottenham didn’t sign Gallagher owing to hefty wages.
Daniel Levy has created a strict wage structure at Hotspur Way that prioritises long-term financial stability while ensuring that the player’s wages remain within certain intervals to avoid disrupting the balance on wage books, and by the looks of it, Gallagher’s wage demands came out too hefty for what Levy was willing to offer, in turn making it difficult for the Lilywhites to compete with Atletico Madrid and conclude a much anticipated transfer.
