Archive August 2, 2025

Son Heung-min, the current Tottenham captain, announced that he would leave this summer after ten years.

The South Korean international signed for Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, and he has made 174 goals in 454 games.

When Tottenham won the first trophy in 17 years against Manchester United in the Europa League final in May, he was the captain.

The 33-year-old is currently negotiating with Los Angeles FC in advanced negotiations with the league’s top soccer team. He is contracted with Spurs until 2026.

Son, who is also the new manager, described the decision as “the most difficult decision I have made in my career.”

A young boy who even didn’t speak English came to London as a young boy when I was a child.

Son is expected to start and lead the Tottenham team against Newcastle in a friendly on Sunday, which could mean his final appearance for the club could be in his home country. As part of their pre-season preparations, Tottenham are in Seoul.

Son was described as “one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League” by Frank, who took over as head coach in June as Ange Postecoglou.

What a place to play it in front of his home fans, Frank said, “If that is Sonny’s last game?”

The conclusion “could be lovely.”

Son claimed that it felt like I had accomplished everything in order to win a title with Spurs in Europe.

In September 2015, he made his Tottenham debut, making 333 Premier League starts.

Along with former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who ranks 16th in the league’s all-time scorers list, ahead of Dwight Yorke, Steven Gerrard, and Ian Wright, he scored 127 goals.

Son and Harry Kane, both of whom are currently at Bayern Munich, have a memorable attacking partnership and are the Premier League’s most successful goalscorers.

Son scored 24 goals in the pair’s 47 combined goals, compared to Kane’s 23. In a prolific two-season period – 2020-21 and 2021-22 – they linked up 21 times for goals.

Son became the first Asian player to achieve the Premier League golden boot, joining Mohamed Salah and Mohamed Salah for 23 goals in the 2021-2020 campaign. A year later, Son became the first player from Asia to reach 100 Premier League goals.

He took over as club captain from Hugo Lloris in August 2023 and made an appearance in the Champions League final against Liverpool in the 2-0 victory.

To push myself, I need a new environment. I need a little bit of change, Son continued. Ten years is a long time.

I had these conversations with myself over and over again as I debated whether I wanted to play football in a different setting.

Son also contributed 101 assists overall and has a record for Tottenham’s 71 Premier League assists.

Arsenal are in close negotiations to appoint Chelsea striker Armando Broja to a permanent deal.

The clubs have reached a broad agreement, but the 23-year-old has yet to sign a five-year deal with the club.

Broja wants to relocate to Turf Moor, but it won’t be until the first week of January.

Up to £20 million could be spent on the move, according to sources, but it hasn’t been determined for sure.

Broja signed his first professional contract with Chelsea in 2020 after graduating from the academy in 2009.

He has made 38 senior team appearances while on loan at Vitesse, Southampton, Fulham, and Everton.

This summer, Chelsea have been active in the outgoing world, moving a number of players as part of the reshaping of their squad.

Important departures attracted significant fees, which will aid in the Blues’ ongoing rebuilding project.

Before Josh Doig’s plane took him on a lung-pumping, leg-burning pre-season training camp with his new team-mates, the wheels on his plane had barely kissed the Italian tarmac.

The Scotsman reminisces about his arrival at Hellas Verona in July 2022, saying, “If you sign, you can go home, pack a bag, and come back.” I had anticipated being drained into it.

I signed up for a two-hour drive straight to the mountains, not speaking the language, and it was terrifying, but I fell in love with it after a few days.

The pre-season retreat known as the ritiro pre-campionato is a form of Italian custom.

Clubs spend weeks preparing for the new season at high-altitude camps, replacing hot, humid summers with fresh mountain air and picturesque surroundings in the north of the nation.

Doig, who is currently with Sassuolo in Serie A and speaking from his fourth retreat, this one in Ronzone, a quiet Alpine village, adds left-back Doig, who is now with Sassuolo in Serie A. “You have almost six weeks off with your family and then 17 days away.”

It’s just head down and work hard when you’re in the mountains, they say. Every day you feel exhausted, but knowing you’re getting something out of it makes it better.

“It shocks the system, but it gets you back in the swing of things with your fitness and football mindset.”

The “ritiro” has a relatively unscathed history in Serie A despite the fact that many clubs, especially those in the Premier League, now opt for lucrative international tours.

According to Marco Ottolini, director of Genoa sports, “every player has grown up with this kind of tradition.” “Maybe we have more mountains than other countries”!

Only AC Milan made the summer of this summer, playing in Hong Kong and Australia, with 12 other clubs setting up retreats at their own training facilities and still making the slopes. Napoli under Antonio Conte are even doing it twice.

Before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Italian disciplinarian Fabio Capello grilled the squad outside of their friends and family in the small Austrian village of Irdning, which is located in the Austrian Alps.

According to Italian football journalist Daniele Verri, some teams would use the remote camps to control their players’ behavior or prevent them from partying in the off-season.

Fans wouldn’t even know where their clubs would end, Verri adds. You now have full houses.

Over time, the environment has changed. Most clubs now allow players’ families to visit, the camps have been shorter, and there are more team-building activities. In addition, most clubs now offer open training sessions for fans. For instance, some of the players from Genoa have gone rafting and on mountain hikes.

Ottolini from Genoa’s base in Moena, in Val di Fassa, recalls how their 11-day stay was “a lot longer.”

For me, there were organizations that stayed in the mountains for three weeks, which was detrimental to the players’ mental health. You now have to plan the breaks and allow for some leisure time.

Of course, training techniques have also changed.

Former Switzerland international Inler, who spent eight seasons in Serie A with Udinese and Napoli, recalls that “it was more mountain runs, up and downs, more physical, 1, 000m runs back and forth” as a child.

“Then it started to change gradually. Some coaches, like Rafael Benitez, preferred to run while playing ball on the field.

A typical day for Patrick Vieira’s Genoa includes a morning and afternoon session in which the players can use the spa, pool, or work on their recovery with the physio.

According to Ottolini, “Patrick has brought a lot of self-consciousness and he transmits this kind of charisma, this calmness in the right way.”

Patrick “is very organized,” he says, “give the players the necessary breaks before training, and he wants them to concentrate completely and concentrate.”

Additionally, daily double sessions have been held under Italian World Cup-winning left-back Fabio Grosso at Sassuolo’s camp.

It “explains Doig,” says Doig, “is full on.” In the morning, we always exercise, and in the afternoon, we always do ball work. The gaffer is a good at doing that.

It is now becoming more tactical. After a challenging morning session, you can look forward to some afternoon games and tactics.

Of course, golf is still a game of choice.

Clubs held events for visiting fans in addition to friendlies and open training sessions, such as a table football game with Genoa players taking part in a meeting at nearby Alpine resort Canazei.

Ottolini goes on to say that “it is traditional for the supporters.” They prefer to travel with their families to watch games and training in order to remain a little bit closer to the team in comparison to what they can do all year long.

The Napoli fans’ retreats have been running for two this summer because they are so popular.

“Every Italian team traveled to the mountains in the 1980s to experience the spirit of a team.” Really just between team members, says Naples-based journalist Vincenzo Credendino.

“The retreat of Napoli is a occurrence right now. They practice during the day and perform at nightclubs.

However, clubs also benefit financially from this.

Conte’s side spent 11 days in Val di Sole, a Trentino valley, before spending two weeks in Castel di Sangro, atop the Apennine Mountains, in Abruzzo.

“Napoli is good for the regions because it draws a lot of fans who frequent hotels and restaurants, and they kayak and mountain bike,” Credendino says.

It costs a lot of money, according to Trentino and Abruzzo Regions, “like a real business.” They pay Napoli to travel, but they also make a lot more money.

Verri continues, “A high club’s pre-season training camp can mean a lot if it’s a mountain resort looking for visibility.” It piques attention, and most importantly, many, many fans.

“That’s why it’s worthwhile to sponsor teams and provide them with free lodging and other benefits.”

Would clubs consider switching from traditional retreats to more lucrative overseas options in the future?

Inler makes the claim that “for the player it is difficult.” You travel extensively after a long season, especially mentally, and it is exhausting. You are in Europe, gentle clubs, so you are not as tired.

In the third round of the Canadian Open, Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova defeated Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who had only three games to lose.

In a 6-2, 6-1 defeat to the world number seven, Raducanu had already defeated the world number seven twice.

The British number one also committed 22 unforced errors, compared to Raducanu’s five, while Anisimova had 29 winners.

American Anisimova is still a top-notch player on the WTA Tour despite suffering a troubling defeat in her first Grand Slam final a month ago.

She has won 50 matches at WTA 1000 events, surpassing any other player in that span, and has won 14 of her previous 17 matches.

Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, defeated 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4 earlier.

She broke me a few times, but she’s a really good returner, Osaka said.

After defeating defending champion and third seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, Japan’s Osaka will face Anastasia Sevastova, who has already triumphed twice at the US and Australian Opens.

American Pegula defeated world number 386 Sevastova in a match that ended in 11 matches in Montreal, but she was forced to play due to an error-strewn deciding set.

Similar to Osaka, Sevastova of Latvia has taken amaternity leave and has now won her first top-five match since 2017.

Pegula responded, “It was a strange match for me.” I initially felt in complete control, but then I only managed to play three or three awful games.

I went from being up a set and 2-0 to being down very quickly because of that.

Andrey Rublev, the seventh seed, defeated Lorenzo Sonego from Italy 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the men’s event.

The main thing that happened today was that I was mentally really good, Rublev said.

I didn’t go down after the first set, according to the statement. I said, “OK, let’s keep fighting, keep being positive.”

After beating Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4, Russian No. Rublev will next face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

In the third round of the Canadian Open, Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova defeated Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who had only three games to lose.

In a 6-2, 6-1 defeat to the world number seven, Raducanu had already defeated the world number seven twice.

The British number one also committed 22 unforced errors, compared to Raducanu’s five, while Anisimova had 29 winners.

American Anisimova is still a top-notch player on the WTA Tour despite suffering a troubling defeat in her first Grand Slam final a month ago.

She has won 50 matches at WTA 1000 events, surpassing any other player in that span, and has won 14 of her previous 17 matches.

Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, defeated 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4 earlier.

She broke me a few times, but she’s a really good returner, Osaka said.

After defeating defending champion and third seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, Japan’s Osaka will face Anastasia Sevastova, who has already triumphed twice at the US and Australian Opens.

American Pegula defeated world number 386 Sevastova in a match that ended in 11 matches in Montreal, but she was forced to play due to an error-strewn deciding set.

Similar to Osaka, Sevastova of Latvia has taken amaternity leave and has now won her first top-five match since 2017.

Pegula responded, “It was a strange match for me.” I initially felt in complete control, but then I only managed to play three or three awful games.

I went from being up a set and 2-0 to being down very quickly because of that.

Andrey Rublev, the seventh seed, defeated Lorenzo Sonego from Italy 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the men’s event.

The main thing that happened today was that I was mentally really good, Rublev said.

I didn’t go down after the first set, according to the statement. I said, “OK, let’s keep fighting, keep being positive.”

After beating Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4, Russian No. Rublev will next face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.