It was confirmed this month that Sonny’s contract has been extended for another season, as expected by most I am sure. Sonny joined Spurs back in 2015 and that £22 million seems like a real bargain now. He has scored well over a hundred goals in the Premier league alone and I think he is destined to go down as one of Spurs legends.
Since the departure of Hugo Lloris, Sonny has taken over the role of captaincy and it seemed like the obvious choice as he has always shown leadership, determination and true professionalism that I hope the younger players aspire to.
At the age of 32 it is fair to say Sonny may be past his best and the number of goals per season are certainly drying up. Some also argued that his legs may have finally gone with the Premiership demands being unforgiving. It would be of no surprise to me considering just how many seasons Son and Kane carried this poor excuse of a team.
We have seen some incredible goals from Sonny over the years and we will never forget that full length pitch run he made before slotting it home against Burnley. Nor will we forget him sailing it into the top corner in the North London derby and that incredible mazy dribble against Chelsea!
Honestly, there are far too many to list them all but unfortunately they do feel like distant memories now. When was the last time he made one of those runs ? When was the last time he scored from outside the box ? Like any veteran player, Son has had to learn to adapt his game if he wants to continue at this level and we just don’t see that side of him anymore.
Some have even argued against the extension of Sonny’s contract and claimed it is merely a marketing strategy rather than a footballing decision. To those people I would say you are probably right, but so what! I cannot begin to even imagine what Son has been worth to Spurs in the Asian market. You only have to look at the stands on match day to see how popular he is with the Asian fan base. If his contract had been extended for that reason alone I would say it was a no brainer. The return on his global value I am sure far outweighs his contractual expenses.
Lets face it, it wouldn’t be the first time a player has been used for marketing value. It is part of global football now and clubs like Spurs are well aware of what the Asian market is worth! Do you think it is any coincidence we have just recruited another South Korean youngster Yang Min-hyeok. At the tender age of 18 and hardly any experience whatsoever at professional level, is he really going to improve this Spurs squad ? But as the youngest goalscorer in the history of K League 1, there is plenty of hype around him back in Asia and that only means one thing for Spurs, cha-ching!
It would be unfair to say that is all Son has to offer at Spurs though, considering he is our captain. With so many youngsters in the Spurs squad it seems even more vital we keep some old heads like Sonny around the club. You cannot underestimate the importance of experienced heads! If you look at the amazing team Man Utd developed in the 90s with Giggs, Beckham, Scholes etc, it wasn’t without some experienced heads around them including Bruce, Pallister and Mark Hughes!
Instead I would argue that Sonny needs to remain an important member of this Spurs squad and should be used more sparingly. There is no doubt Sonny has been overplayed over the years with his contribution to the team being his own downfall. He was simply too good to drop! It has perhaps also been unfortunate that in the last 2 seasons those who were meant to provide cover for Sonny have either been injured (Solomon and Odobert) or have been far too unreliable (Werner).
Finally I will leave you with one conspiracy theory as to why Sonny appears to be starting week in week out regardless of his form and that is Mr. Levy. Does anyone believe he interferes with on field football decisions and team selections ? Is Ange under strict orders to make sure Sonny plays a certain number of games to appease his Asian fan base? I wonder!