Son Heung-min, who rejected a big-money offer from Saudi Arabia to stay with Tottenham Hotspur, is set to play in the club’s first pre-season game.
English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur will play their first pre-season game against fellow league side West Ham United at the 60,000-capacity Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. ET. Spurs will have five matches in total to warm up before their 2023/24 Premier League opener against Brentford on March 13, and the West Ham match is a great place to start.
The game will be particularly noteworthy for Spurs’ new manager, Ange Postecoglou, who will be showcasing his football in his native Australia. Postecoglou will be facing last season’s UEFA Europa Conference winners with London ties from the first leg.
The Hammers have started their pre-season early, beating fifth-tier Borehamwood 4-1 on Nov. 11, and then traveled to Australia to warm up with a 6-2 win over local professional team Perth Glory on Nov. 15. It will not be an easy game for Tottenham.
The West Ham game is also important for Son Heung-min. Son underwent hernia surgery shortly after last season. It was later revealed that he had been struggling with the problem all season. This limited his playing time in the June A friendly against Peru on June 16, and again against El Salvador on June 20, when he was substituted midway through the second half. Some speculated that the hernia was the cause of his disappointing offensive numbers last season.토토사이트
A month later, Son’s condition seems to be almost back to normal. Heung-min warmed up by playing “early soccer” in South Korea during the heat wave. On a video channel, he showed up for a game of early soccer and played with soccer player-turned-popular singer Lim Young-woong, scoring a hat trick and drawing applause from fans. His left-footed wind-up kick and storming dribble were enough to draw the attention of fans offline and online.
With his body feeling good in South Korea, Son was the first of the Spurs players to arrive in Australia via Singapore, where he spent some time on the pitch doing individual training.
He then appeared at the pre-match press conference ahead of the West Ham game, where he gave a speech that illustrated his place in the Asian soccer scene. “If I wanted to go (to Saudi Arabia), I wouldn’t be here,” Son said of the Saudi club’s big-money transfer offer. I love playing soccer. Money is important, but my dream is to play in the Premier League,” which drew a lot of applause.
Tottenham are in a state of flux at the moment. Their star striker, Harry Kane, has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich. If Kane leaves, Spurs will have to overhaul their squad, but luckily, with Son Heung-min, who is entering his ninth season at Spurs, healthy and centered, Spurs’ new season shouldn’t be too much of a worry.