Go back three years and ask any Tottenham fan could they imagine their team without both Harry Kane and Heung Min Son and surely they would have laughed in your face but in a relatively short period of time both players have departed the club. Of course Kane left England altogether to hook up in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and finally won a trophy in the league title. Son stayed and ironically finally won a trophy with the Londoners this past term holding aloft the Europa League. However, Son has announced his departure from the club. It is a club he has served well and it is unfortunate that fans cannot have a proper goodbye to a player who spent a decade there.
What will Son's legacy be at Tottenham? Make no mistake with over 100 goals to his name Son will go down as a legend with them. But it is worth looking at the bigger picture, what is Son's ultimate legacy as a player? It is hard to shake the feeling that Son never reached his full potential. Over rated? Hardly, and that would feel harsh. On his day Son was absolutely a world class player and he scored world class goals. He formed partnerships quickly and on their day his partnership with Kane was devastating, just ask Manchester City. Son created goals and worked hard for the club however he disappeared in many games too. Son was unable to be consistent but he had the skill, he had the quality and that is ultimately what makes him a frustrating player. In a different universe Son is somewhere holding the World Player of the Year trophy, and you get the sense that he wasn't able to reach the very top of the game. However he will rightfully go down as a very good player and a special one with Tottenham. Hopefully in the future he will be able to return to the club as a guest and get a goodbye reception that he emphatically deserves.
Does the new Premier League season point to Mikel Arteta's last with Arsenal? Arteta has been with the Gunners since 2019 but has only been able to win one trophy so far in the FA Cup and that was 5 years ago. Let's not forget however that the club have challenged seriously for the league on at least two occasions and certainly after a few dips Arsenal under Arteta look in much better shape than when Arsene Wenger finally departed after two decades. Arteta has had every accusation thrown at him, the usual one is that his team bottle the league but maybe they simply haven't been good enough. The signing of Declan Rice has brought calm authority to the midfield and perhaps if they had not lost Bukayo Saka to injury they could have challenged Liverpool to the league title. But Arsenal have always seemed to be missing one or two players to complete the puzzle. The club looks stronger again, and will need to begin the new season on form right from the get go. There has certainly been a pattern in recent seasons that any dip in form spells total disaster and it's not uncommon for quality teams to be out of league contention by Christmas.
So could this season be Arteta's last? Let's remember that he did sign a 3 year contract only last season so unless the Gunners were to finish outside of a Champions League spot and win nothing it seems unlikely Arteta would be sacked. He certainly won't be leaving, it's very rare to see a manager now walk out of his contract. There is pressure on him though and this has been ramped up given that their eternal rivals Tottenham have just won the Europa League.
© Copyright topfootballtipster.com 2019
