Heung-Min Son's contract extension officially confirmed | OneFootball

Today, the 7th of January, it has been confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur have officially triggered the automatic extension in Heung-Min Son's contract, meaning his deal at the club will run until the summer of 2026.

Heung Min-Son to stay with Tottenham until at least 2026

Not sure about everyone else, but wow does it feel like time has flown with this situation. There is such a clear image of his four-year extension back in the summer of 2021, amidst the Harry Kane saga, with the number seven praised for lesser spotted loyalty in the modern game.

There had been some concern regarding the player's contract. Although people knew about the extension trigger, until it was officially confirmed, there was always going to be a little bit of anxiety. There had recently been some reports that former Spurs manager Jose Mourinho was looking for a reunion with Son at Fenerbahce.

Once we got into January, the skipper became one of five players able to speak to clubs from abroad, though now that is no longer the case. The remaining four players are; Ben Davies, Fraser Forster, Alfie Whiteman, and Sergio Reguilon. Quite the difference in importance to Spurs, particularly those names after Davies.

When it comes to current form, the skipper would be the first to admit he has not been at his best of late, with the missed penalty against Wolves really encapsulating the tough period he is going through. Still, he is having to play twice a week at his age, and is in clear need of some rotation to get the best out of him.

So far in his career, he has played 44,371 minutes for club and country, which equates to 493 full 90's. All of this with having to travel thousands and thousands of miles with eight hours of jet lag pretty much every international break. He is not a superhuman, he needs to not be relied on for 90 minutes twice a week.

Last season, Spurs played one game a week. They only played 41 games all season, one more than the minimum they possibly could have done. In that season, Son scored 17 goals, provided 10 assists, and created 20 big chances in 35 league games. All of that with the fatigue of playing 600 minutes in the AFC Asia cup in January and February.

With the illness of Mikey Moore, and injuries of Richarlison, Ange has had to use his captain more than he would have hoped to. He was out of the side for the game against Newcastle United, which meant Timo Werner, who clearly is lacking the requisite quality, started the game instead.

However, Moore and Richarlison are back in first team training now, and Spurs are linked to forwards such as Randal Kolo Muani. All of this should, hopefully help manage his minutes, and help to get the best of him when he does play.