New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS) Tottenham captain Son Heung-min has announced that he will leave the club this summer after spending 10 years.

The South Korea international joined Spurs at the end of August 2015 and celebrated his 10th year at the club by lifting the UEFA Europa League trophy back in May.

The 33-year-old, who is under contract with Spurs until 2026, announced his decision to leave the club at a press conference alongside Thomas Frank in Seoul.

“I wanted to say I have decided to leave the Club this summer. Respectfully the club is helping me with this decision. It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision.

“I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change – 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man.

“I want to say thank you to all the Spurs fans for giving me so much love. I hope the goodbye is also good timing and this is the right time to make that decision. I hope everyone can accept that and respect that,” Son said in a press conference.

Son, who is a fifth in Spurs all-time goalscoring list with 173, last season became only the seventh player in the club history to make 450+ appearances, reaching 454.

Asked for his reaction to the decision, coach Frank said, “For me, personally, I would have loved to have worked with this fantastic person and player. He is a true Spurs legend in every aspect, one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League. It is never easy to find the perfect timing and me coming in from the side, it makes it a bit easier to end on a high.”

Son was asked if he has told his team-mates of his intentions and what was the reaction, the skipper said, “I spoke with only a few guys. They will be disappointed – in a respectful way. I’m very close with Ben so we have spoken about the future, but he respected my decision.

“It is hard to tell my team-mates as you are spending almost more time with them than your family. People will be disappointed but in a happy way. That was my feeling but I don’t know what the actual feeling is.”

Tottenham are in Seoul as part of their pre-season preparations, with Son set to start and lead the side against Newcastle in their friendly on Sunday – meaning his final appearance for the club could come in his home country.

–IANS

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