‘The most difficult decision I have made’ – Heung-min Son says he wants to leave Tottenham this summer | OneFootball

Heung-min Son says he wants to leave Tottenham this summer after ten years at the club.

The South Korea international joined Spurs in 2015 and would go on to become the club’s fourth record goalscorer and fifth record appearance holder.

And after captaining the club to the Europa League trophy last season, he says he now wants to play in a different environment.

“It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career,” he said.

“I have spent 10 years at Tottenham. The main reason is I have achieved everything I can at Tottenham. I need a new environment for a fresh challenge. I’m grateful the club have respected my decision and wish Spurs well for the next season.

“It’s a beautiful club with beautiful fans. I have such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision. I just felt like I needed a new environment to push myself to get more out of me I think I needed a little bit of change. 10 years is a long time.

“I came to north London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age. A boy who couldn’t speak English. I leave this club as a grown man.

“Thank you to all the Spurs fans who have given me so much love. It felt like it was my home. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made. I think it is the right time to leave. I hope that everyone understands that and respects that.”

On the reaction from his Spurs team-mates to the news, he said: “I spoke with only a few guys, ones I’ve spent a long time with.

“Obviously they’re disappointed, as a friendship or as a team-mate you’d be very disappointed if someone decided to leave, but in a respectful way.

“Obviously I’m very close with Ben (Davies) so we’ve spoken about the future a lot of times.

“Obviously he fully respects my decision. So does everyone. What can I say? It’s very, very hard to tell my team-mates because I sometimes probably spend more time with them than my family because we’re travelling together, spending time together every single day at the training ground, five or six hours every day. I think we know each other so well.

“Everybody was disappointed but also in a way very happy for me. That was my feeling but I don’t what they were actually feeling. They seemed happy but disappointed when I told them my decision.”