
Could Son Heung-min play his last North London derby for Spurs in Hong Kong?
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Los Angeles Football Club have emerged as front runners to sign Son, who has only one year left on his Spurs deal.
The club are contractually obliged to field the 33-year-old in their friendly with Newcastle United in Seoul on Sunday. Before then, he is expected to feature when Tottenham play Arsenal at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium as part of the Hong Kong Football Festival on Thursday.
'Right now, he is here, and we are happy with that,' Frank said at Kai Tak on Tuesday evening. 'He's showing great character, he's in the squad and he trained today. What I'm focusing on is that he is a Tottenham player.'
Tottenham coach Thomas Frank during a pre-match press conference in Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li
Frank, who succeeded Ange Postecoglou as Spurs boss last month, said the trip to Hong Kong was a chance to win new fans.
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RTHK
3 hours ago
- RTHK
Spurs beat Arsenal in Kai Tak north London derby
Spurs beat Arsenal in Kai Tak north London derby Spurs claimed the Herbalgy Trophy with their win over Arsenal in their friendly at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo courtesy of the Hong Kong Football Festival Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur delivered a slice of football history on Thursday by staging the first North London derby outside the United Kingdom as nearly 50,000 fans packed Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium for a pre-season friendly. The mouth-watering clash proved so popular that around 20,000 people turned up just to watch the two teams train, underlining the rarity of Premier League local rivals facing off in pre-season friendlies. Despite tickets costing as much as HK$2,499, fans considered the historic occasion worth every penny as the North London rivalry finally crossed continents. "I'm extremely excited. Firstly, watching Arsenal, it's my second time. I was excited then, I'm still excited now, but this is the North London Derby," said Khalid Saleh, a 33-year-old Arsenal fan from Perth. "This is the one game where we're very nervous ... It's probably a childhood dream, man, to come watch a North London derby." The match ended 1-0 to Spurs with their Senegal midfielder Pape Matar Sarr scoring the winner late in the first half with a spectacular strike from near the centre circle after he spotted goalkeeper David Raya off his line. For many Arsenal fans, the main attraction was watching their 76 million euros (US$86.72 million) Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres making his debut, part of the club's close-season spending spree approaching 200 million pounds (US$263.94 million). Wearing the iconic number 14 shirt, Gyokeres came on as a late substitute, welcomed onto the pitch with a huge roar that echoed around the stadium, which had its roof closed. "We just signed a new striker, probably the first (specialist) striker we signed since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang," said Mo Muse, an Arsenal fan from Melbourne. "We're feeling super, super confident, obviously. Probably one of the best transfer windows." Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was 'amazed' by the support, thanking them for their patience after Arsenal returned to Hong Kong for the first time since 2012. "It just makes you feel how wonderful and big this football club is and how lucky we are to have the support with the level of intensity as well that people love our football club here, so it was great to witness," Arteta said. Spurs supporters, meanwhile, were eager to see their captain Son Heung-min, with many fearing it could be their last chance to watch the 33-year-old South Korea forward in the club's colours amid transfer speculation. "Sonny has stayed for a decade in Tottenham," said Spurs fan Patrick Lau, who held a placard with pictures of the talismanic forward. "No matter whether Sonny decides to stay or maybe move to the next chapter, we are so glad that Son has stayed for Tottenham for a decade. He is our legend forever!" Simba, a Spurs fan from Hangzhou, said he bought tickets for the match mainly to watch Son, who also came on as a substitute. "I came because Son Heung-min might leave the team," he said. "I hope to see him a few more times and watch him one last time, as he's my favourite player." (Reuters)


South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Football Festival: city basks in job well done, Spurs boss hails ‘perfect' event
The curtain came down on the first Hong Kong Football Festival on Thursday, with a game between bitter rivals Arsenal and Tottenham that made a mockery of its friendly status and left organisers basking in the glow of a job well done. By any metric, they would consider the past week to have been a success, on and off the field, including a particularly impressive milestone for Kai Tak Stadium, which welcomed its 1 millionth visitor despite having been open for less than six months. Almost 60,000 fans turned out just to see the four teams train, and nearly 100,000 passed through the stadium's gates to watch Liverpool, AC Milan, Arsenal and Tottenham play the first pre-season games of substance in the city since the Asia Trophy in 2017. For the second game running, the crowd broke the record for attendance at a sporting occasion at the city's newest venue. This time, 49,975 crammed in, just 25 people short of the official capacity. Rachael Carroll, managing director of promoters TEG Sport, said the week had been 'a thrilling experience for everyone involved'. Tottenham players celebrate beating Arsenal in the Herbalgy Trophy at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Sam Tsang 'We can proudly say that the Hong Kong Football Festival has delivered on its promise to provide an unprecedented experience for football fans, right here in Hong Kong,' Carroll added.


South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Football Festival: city basks in job well done, Spurs boss praises ‘perfect' occasion
The curtain came down on the first Hong Kong Football Festival on Thursday, with a North London derby that made a mockery of its friendly status and left organisers basking in the glow of a job well done. Advertisement By any metric, they would consider the past week to have been a success, on and off the field. Almost 60,000 fans turned out just to see the four teams train, and nearly 100,000 passed through the gates at Kai Tak Stadium to watch Liverpool, AC Milan, Arsenal and Tottenham play the first pre-season games of substance in the city since the Asia Trophy in 2017. For the second game running, the crowd broke the record for attendance at a sporting occasion at the city's newest venue. This time, 49,975 crammed in, just 25 people short of the official capacity, and among them was the stadium's 1 millionth visitor. Rachel Carroll, managing director of promoters TEG Sport, said the week had been 'a thrilling experience for everyone involved'. Tottenham players celebrate beating Arsenal in the Herbalgy Trophy at Kai Tak Stadium. Photo: Sam Tsang 'We can proudly say that the Hong Kong Football Festival has delivered on its promise to provide an unprecedented experience for football fans, right here in Hong Kong,' Carroll added.