Son’s Olympic dream could cost him Tottenham reality

Tottenham attacker Son Heung-Min has prioritized playing for his country in the Olympics over his place at Spurs

Let me first say that I’m well aware that most Tottenham fans are going to disagree with this article. Son Heung-Min’s decision to play for his country in the Olympics and miss out on the beginning of the Premier League season is generally viewed as an appropriate, patriotic decision. Some Spurs fans even will applaud Son for making this “sacrifice.”

I, on the other hand, believe that the Korean attacker is putting his Tottenham future in great danger by chasing his Olympic dream. His decision to leave his teammates for the beginning of a crucial Premier League campaign isn’t going to endear him to manager Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine manager will certainly understand Son’s decision, but that doesn’t mean that he has to like or approve of it.

You have to know that Pochettino would have preferred Son to stay at White Hart Lane and truly commit himself to fighting for his place at Spurs. It’s not as if he is coming off a banner season and enters the 2016-17 campaign assured of a spot in the starting 11. His reality is quite the contrary, he struggled mightily during his first Premier League season and enters his second campaign very much on the fringes of the first team. He is a player who should be very worried over his spot in the squad.

Instead of doing everything he can to work hard and prove to the manager that he deserves his spot with Tottenham, he’s going to go off and try to win an Olympic medal. Again, there’s nothing inherently wrong or immoral with this decision, but there are real world consequences for his choice. Chiefly, it puts his place at Tottenham in serious danger moving forward.

Somehow, Son Heung-Min continues to be a popular player with Spurs fans despite his lack of actual contribution on the pitch. Maybe it’s his smile or pleasant countenance, but he’s gotten a completely free pass from a usually insightful fan base. The same fans who are “confident” Son will come good in his second season, won’t see any issue with him prioritizing the Olympics over his place at Tottenham.

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I have to wonder though, if a player who wasn’t such a fan darling would get the same benefit of the doubt. If last year, Erik Lamela would have chosen to play in an international competition instead of working hard for Tottenham during the pre-season would have gotten the same love from Spurs fans? If you don’t think that’s a fair comparison then I certainly invite you to compare the relative status of both players at the respective times. Last year heading into the season there were serious questions about whether or not Lamela would receive regular playing time at Spurs. He erased those questions with a solid Premier League season, but he was in a very similar spot to Son when last year began.

Son Heung-Min might be able to win an Olympic goal medal for South Korea and make his dreams come true. When he returns home to Tottenham his career may very well turn into a nightmare though. His brief absence may give other Spurs attackers the chance they need to bury him on Mauricio Pochettino’s depth chart.