‘Son Heung-min to seal Postecoglou sack this week in new Tottenham blow v Frankfurt’
Ange Postecoglou’s chances of going out as Tottenham boss with some silverware has taken yet another hammer blow with the latest news on his underperforming captain Son Heung-min.
Spurs are preparing for a season-defining Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, having drawn the opening game 1-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Postecoglou has been under immense pressure at Tottenham for much of the campaign, with his team slipping to 15th in the Premier League table, and their spot in Europe likely the only thing saving him.
However, the Australian looks to have taken one step closer to being sacked by Daniel Levy after revealing the Lilywhites’ team news ahead of their clash in Frankfurt on Thursday, 17 April.
Son Heung-min blow emerges in Tottenham team news
Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou said: “Son didn’t travel, and he’s the only one who hasn’t travelled. He’s been struggling with his foot for a couple of weeks now and has been in pain.
“He tried to train yesterday and just wasn’t right, so we made the decision to leave him out and allow him to recuperate and see the best way of recovery for him.”
The captain has missed seven matches through injury across all competitions this term, and while Tottenham fans have been extremely critical of Son, he could have been instrumental.
Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Mathys Tel to step up for Tottenham
Boasting 11 goals and 12 assists across all competitions, no player in the squad has as big an impact as the South Korean has over the course of the season, and he will be missed, even if nowhere near as much he once would have been, or as much as Postecoglou might have hoped this season.
Brennan Johnson does boast the most goals, with 16, and Solanke and James Maddison tied with Son, but the latter’s assists will no longer be available at the Deutsche Bank Park Stadium on Thursday night.
The pressure on Postecoglou to bring success back to North London is at an all-time high, and there is no telling what the blow of Son’s absence will do for the rest of the team heading out to Germany.
With many fans suggesting that Spurs’ backs are already up against the wall ahead of their Europa League tie, the latest injury blow will only add to the idea that the team return to England empty-handed and, possibly, without a manager.
It seems increasingly unlikely that the former Celtic boss will make it past the summer in North London, but the ending of his final chances at a trophy might bring that decision forward.