Tottenham have confirmed the appointment of Heung-min Son as their new captain for the 2023/24 season.
The popular forward suceeds long-serving skipper Hugo Lloris, the holder of the armband since 2015 who technically remains at Spurs but is expected to depart before the end of the summer transfer window as he seeks a fresh challenge elsewhere after 11 years in north London.
Harry Kane had captained Tottenham in the absence of Lloris, including in his final appearance in the charity friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk last weekend in which he scored four goals, and would surely have been appointed as full-time leader under new head coach Ange Postecoglou, though completed his blockbuster £86.4million switch to Bayern Munich on Friday.
Son will be a popular appointment among Spurs fans, having become a hugely influential and very well-liked figure at the club since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, scoring 145 goals in 372 total appearances and forming one of the most devastating attacking partnerships in Premier League history alongside Kane.
The 31-year-old already has plenty of captaincy experience at international level with South Korea and will be assisted in his new club role by centre-back Cristian Romero and England midfielder James Maddison, who only joined Tottenham from Leicester in a £40m move in July.
“It’s such a big honour to captain this huge club,” said Son, who will wear the armband for Sunday’s Premier League opener away at London rivals Brentford.
“It was big surprise and a very proud moment. I’ve already said to the players that everyone should feel like a captain, on and off the pitch.
“It’s a new season, a fresh start and I will give everything for this shirt and this armband.”
Postecoglou said of his new skipper: “Sonny has great leadership qualities, both on and off the pitch, and is the ideal choice to become our new captain.
“Everyone knows he is a world class player, and he has enormous respect from everyone in the dressing room.
“He transcends groups within the squad. That’s not just because he’s popular - it’s because of what he has achieved in the game, both here and as captain of South Korea.”
