Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League are making efforts to delay the convening of its captain Son Heung-min for the Qatar Asian Cup as much as possible. The team plans to hold the first match of the FA Cup against Burnley on March 6.
According to local media reports in the U.K., Tottenham is negotiating with the Korean national team over the timing of Son’s call-up. The Evening Standard reported that Tottenham and the Korea Football Association have yet to reach an agreement on the date of Son’s departure from England. Manager Anji Postecoglou also said, “We haven’t decided yet” regarding the date of Son’s departure, adding that there is room for negotiations.
As a result of checking with KFA, Tottenham did not send an official letter requesting a delay in Son Heung-min’s national team call-up. An official from the association said, “The Tottenham club can say that, but it seems to be playing a little media game.” He added, “Since national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann knows Tottenham so well, we communicate directly if there is a request from the club.”
Tottenham, which is on alert due to injuries to its main players, wants to use Son Heung-min for one more game. Tottenham, which was leading the 2023-2024 season early, is currently ranked as fifth. Yves Bissouma and Pape Saar, key resources in the midfield, should also be sent out to play in the Africa Cup of Nations next month. With the league cup initially eliminated, the FA Cup is the only trophy Tottenham can realistically aim for. 스포츠토토
However, the date of Son’s departure is not subject to negotiations from the national team’s point of view. According to FIFA regulations, teams are obliged to release their players up to two weeks in advance based on the first match of the Asian Cup upon request by each national team. The first match of the Asian Cup against Bahrain will be held on the 15th. If the national team rejects Son’s request to delay the call-up, Tottenham will have to release him only through the 2023-2024 EPL 19th round away match against Brighton on the 29th.
Tottenham is expected to use Son Heung-min’s loss to the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, a tournament that is not obligated to play, as leverage for negotiations. Tottenham has lost Son Heung-min since the match against China, which was the third group match during the 2019 Asian Cup. Even if Son Heung-min plays in the match against Burnley, there is no big problem in adjusting to the time difference as there are nine days left until the first group match of the Asian Cup.
However, as the national team is more eager than ever to win the Asian Cup, it will not be able to fulfill Tottenham’s demands. The national team, which is considered the best ever including Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich), and Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain), sees the championship as an opportunity to overcome its first championship in 64 years. The national team plans to move to Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates on March 2 before the opening of the Asian Cup, and hold two exhibition matches to boost its teamwork. The association believes that since Coach Klinsmann also set the Asian Cup title as the top priority for the national team, Son Heung-min, its key player, will not be able to be delayed. If Son is injured even if he loses the match against Burnley, it will inevitably cause a major setback in the management of the national team’s offensive tactics.