'Son Heung-min Silent' Tottenham, Draw with Wycombe from League One

England Premier League (EPL) club Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 in a pre-season closed match against League One (3rd division) team Wycombe Wanderers. In this match, Son Heung-min started and played for 75 minutes but failed to create any impressive scenes to dispel transfer rumors. On the other hand, Yang Min-hyeok made his debut on the Tottenham first team stage by coming on as a substitute in a separate match against Luton Town.

The match took place at 7 PM (Korean time) on the 26th at Tottenham's training ground 'Hotspur Way'. In this closed match, Tottenham performed well with Pape Sarr scoring multiple goals, but conceded two goals to Wycombe's Armando Junior Quitirna, resulting in a disappointing draw.

Son Heung-min wore the captain's armband and started in this match. After coming on as a substitute in the second half of the first pre-season match against Reading on the 19th, he was named in the starting lineup for the first time this time. However, the result was disappointing. He recorded 3 shots (1 on target), 1 successful dribble, and a pass success rate of 93%, but failed to create any decisive scenes and was substituted by Luca Williams Barnett in the 30th minute of the second half.

On the same day, late in the afternoon, Tottenham played another closed friendly match. In the match held at Kenilworth Road in Luton, England, Tottenham faced Luton Town. All players who participated in the Wycombe match were excluded. The biggest focus in this match was Yang Min-hyeok. Substituted for Mickey van der Ven in the 33rd minute of the second half, Yang Min-hyeok played as a right winger and delivered an impressive debut despite the short time. Although he did not score any attack points, he left a record of 12 touches, a pass success rate of 83% (5 out of 6 successful), and a tackle success rate of 100% (2 times).

Especially in the 42nd minute of the second half, he quickly intercepted a ball that came out after the opponent's corner kick and launched a counterattack, which drew applause from the bench. Yang Min-hyeok confirmed his transfer to Tottenham from K League 1's Gangwon FC in the summer of 2024 and officially joined in January 2025. However, he was immediately loaned to QPR in the Championship (2nd division), where he recorded 2 goals in 14 matches, and is now starting a full-fledged competition after returning to Tottenham through this summer's pre-season.

Tottenham is operating two matches a day in this pre-season to evaluate the players as much as possible. Currently, it is difficult to say that Son Heung-min's position is secure. With two consecutive matches against second division team Reading and third division team Wycombe without any attack points, the question marks have grown larger.


Jeon Sang-il Reporter