Son Heung-min drops Tottenham future hint after reaching new goal landmark

Son Heung-min believes he has a “few more years” left in him as he aims to climb even higher up the Tottenham goalscoring ranks.

The South Korean star has found his feet again in front of goal for Spurs in recent weeks with three goals and one assist in his past five Premier League games to make it 12 goals and four assists for the season so far. His low early strike on Saturday in the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth was also a milestone moment as it took Son to 143 goals for the club.

That means that the 30-year-old has moved level with Jermain Defoe in joint sixth in the club’s all-time top goalscorer rankings.

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When asked just how many more goals he can score for the club – with the double-winning legend Cliff Jones next on the list in fifth with 159 goals – Son made it clear that he intends to score more goals for Spurs in the years to come.

“I think I’ve got a few more years to play yet, so I will try to keep scoring more goals. I want to go a little bit higher (in the top scorers list), so I will do my best,” he said. “It’s a big honour to have been playing for a few years now at this club.

“Obviously I’m not really focused to be tied with this goalscoring record, obviously I just want to help the team, but it’s a big honour to be compared with Jermain Defoe, who is a Spurs legend and scored so many goals for Spurs. So I think to tie this goal tally makes me hugely proud.”

The previous week Son reached another landmark in hitting 100 Premier League goals with his stunning curling strike against Brighton. That also made him the first Asian to enter the 100 club in the competition.

His skipper Hugo Lloris praised Son for everything he has achieved since his first goal for the club way back eight years ago against Crystal Palace in September 2015.

“Sonny’s still the same guy, honestly. The years have gone so fast! He has the same enthusiasm, same positivity, same energy, he just has 100 more Premier League goals! Step by step, he built his reputation, his stats, his importance to our team,” said the Tottenham captain.

“People outside here don’t know him really well. We are here every day with him, we know him more deeply. He has the same attitude… honestly, there is no difference between the Sonny who came here in 2015 and now, just the goals, the stats. He still has the same willingness and desire. I don’t know his limit.

“Year after year, he’s reached different levels and today, he belongs up there with the best. He’s probably the best Asian player of all-time. More important than all that is the human side. It’s a joy to be with him and, for sure, he wants to continue a few more years like this.”

Thinking back to that first goal against Palace that began it all, Spurs defender Ben Davies was also full of praise for everything Son has achieved since arriving at the club and also the way he hits the ball.

“One of the first things we all noticed about Sonny was how clean he strikes a ball, his technique. In training, we could see it straight away, both feet,” he said.

“You knew if he could get half-a-yard, he would strike the ball with power and accuracy off either foot, and that first goal probably caught the goalkeeper by surprise, as he hits it so hard. He was still the same character when he first joined us, full of energy and on the pitch, so much quality.

“It’s no surprise to see how his career has progressed. To be honest, I believe the number of goals he’s scored has almost gone under the radar, because he brings so much to the team without goals. It takes a special player to be able to contribute as much in games as he does and to be that effective, consistently.

“You see a lot of good wingers out there, but not many get anywhere near his contributions. It’s incredibly impressive and huge for our team.”

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