Son Heung-min is hardly getting out of the slump with Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham was eliminated from the Carabao Cup after suffering a 0-4 defeat in the second round of the Carabao Cup (League Cup) semifinals against Liverpool in the 2024-25 season, and this time, they fell to their knees in the fourth round of the FA Cup (the round of 32) in the 2024-25 season against Aston Villa.
Along with his team's two consecutive losses, Son also showed sluggish performance. Having played full-time in two matches that were held at three-day intervals, Son hit the post at the match against Liverpool and missed a critical one-on-one chance at the match against Aston Villa, displaying disappointment in terms of decisiveness.
As a result, negative public opinion toward Son Heung-min is flooding.
British media 'Give Me Sports' said on the 11th (Korea Standard Time), "Tottenham will carefully consider reorganizing its squad, including the departure of South Korean striker Son Heung-min," adding, "It has been an icon of Tottenham for the past few years and has devoted itself to the team, but the source pointed out the possibility of him leaving."
"Son Heung-min recently extended his contract for another year, but Tottenham has entered a new era. The club has to make a big decision in terms of offense," he said. "His future is uncertain, and Timo Werner can leave as well. The three players, Son Heung-min, Hisalysong and Werner, are paid 445,000 pounds (800 million won), which will save them a considerable amount of money in their wages if they are released." If the salaries of the three players are converted into annual salaries, the total amount will be 42 billion won.
Tottenham, led by coach Anji Postecoglou, lost 1-2 to Aston Villa in the fourth round (32 strongest) of the English FA Cup in 2024-25 season at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on the 10th (Korea time).
Tottenham was dragged by Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey in the second minute of the first half, and then gave an additional goal to Morgan Rogers, who helped Ramsey's goal around the 20th minute of the second half. Tottenham, which continued to chase Aston Villa, followed with a comeback goal by freshman Matisse Tell in the first minute of the second half, but that was it.
Due to the defeat against Aston Villa, Tottenham was eliminated from the FA Cup. After failing to advance to the Carabao Cup finals due to upsetting scores in the match against Liverpool, Tottenham ended up losing two consecutive competitions in three days. After 17 years since winning the 2007-08 League Cup, Tottenham's chances of winning the title have also plummeted.
Now, the last competition Tottenham can look forward to is the UEFA Europa League. Tottenham, which is currently ranked 14th in the Premier League, has zero chance of winning the title.
After Tottenham's defeat against Aston Villa, 'Son Heung-min's responsibility theory' has risen again.
Son Heung-min, who started as a front-line striker, missed a decisive chance around the 24th minute of the first half and failed to score an equalizer.
Son caught a cross fired from the right side by Tottenham's 2006 prospect Mikey Moore inside the penalty area. One-on-one with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. If it were his usual Son, he would not have missed a golden opportunity, but he was blocked by Martinez as his shot lacked strength.
Son Heung-min did not show any significant performance during the 90 minutes, and had to taste the pain of being eliminated from the two tournaments in a row.
After the game, harsh criticism poured into Son Heung-min.
Alessdair Gold, a member of England's Football London and a reporter exclusively for Tottenham, gave Son Heung-min four points and said, "In the first half, I received Moore's pass and shot at Martinez from a no-mark chance. Another shot was blocked at the beginning of the second half," adding, "I needed quality as a captain at an important moment, but I couldn't."
Gold's four points were the lowest score ever received by Tottenham players who played against Aston Villa with striker Mikey Moore and midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
Potmob, a soccer statistics media famous for its mechanical ratings, gave Son 5.9 points. This is the lowest rating among field players who played full time. Antonin Kinski, the goalkeeper, is the only player who received a lower rating than Son.
So, Son Heung-min left only a flat record, including eight successful passes (nine attempts), one opportunity creation, one shot (one effective shot), one big chance miss, 0 cross success (two attempts), three turnovers, and one successful ground contest (six attempts). 스포츠토토
The Spurs Web, which covers news on Tottenham, even gave Son a 1.5 score rating. This score can only be seen in German Bundesliga media, which rates the highest score at one point and up to five points.
"Spurs Web" said, "Son Heung-min missed a decisive scoring chance provided by Moore," adding, "For the rest of the game after missing the chance, Son Heung-min looked like a player whose confidence collapsed."
"He was completely controlled by Aston Villa's defense team even after that. His dribbling was not threatening and he showed no passion for Son," Son said. "His reputation as a golden reputation is being damaged among Tottenham fans. His decline is getting clearer. Now he even feels sorry for Son."
Noting that Son missed a critical chance, BBC reported that Son has only scored one goal and one assist in the last eight matches. Son, a former top scorer in the Premier League, has seen his recent performance drop incomparably to the past.
It is a harsh criticism for two consecutive games following the match against Liverpool.
After the match against Liverpool, Son Heung-min was criticized by multiple local media, including "Team Talk" and "Give Me Sports," for his lack of skills. The two media outlets argued that Son Heung-min's performance has already fallen a lot, and Tottenham should consider cashing out Son Heung-min before his form becomes more serious than now.
Jamie Redknapp, a soccer expert who played for Tottenham in the past, also cast doubt on Son Heung-min's leadership.
He said on Sky Sports, "I don't think Son Heung-min is the captain. I don't think he's the captain