Heung-Min Son’s move from the Premier League to MLS is complete: On Wednesday, Los Angeles FC officially introduced the 33-year-old South Korean. Never before has a new signing in the North American league been more expensive.
After ten years with Tottenham Hotspur, Heung-Min Son is starting a new chapter in his professional career: The South Korean striker is transferring to Los Angeles FC in the MLS with immediate effect – for a record transfer fee.
According to US media reports, the former club of Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini is paying Spurs the equivalent of around €22.5 million, the highest transfer fee ever paid by an MLS club for a new signing. With the Son transfer, LAFC has surpassed the previous record set by Atlanta United, which paid around $19 million for striker Emmanuel Latte Lath last winter.
Contract until 2027 with options
“We are proud that he has chosen Los Angeles as the setting for the next chapter of his extraordinary career,“ said John Thorrington, co-president and general manager of LAFC, commenting on the transfer. Son signed a contract until 2027 with options for up to two additional years and said: ”I came to L.A. to win titles and give everything for this club, this city and its fans.”
Son cheered on his new teammates from the stands on Tuesday evening as they beat Tigres 2-1 in the League Cup. The 137-time South Korean international was shown on the video screen during the first half and given a warm welcome. Now he has been officially presented.
Son announced his departure from London last weekend in tears, describing it as “the most difficult decision of my career.” He moved to Spurs from the Bundesliga in 2015, having previously spent two years at Bayer 04 Leverkusen and five years at Hamburger SV (134 Bundesliga appearances and 41 goals in total).
As Europa League champion to the MLS
In London, the 33-year-old became one of the best scorers in Spurs history with 127 goals and 71 assists in 333 Premier League games. Last season, the captain only managed seven league goals in 30 appearances, but also won the Europa League with Tottenham. However, Son came off the bench in the final. He celebrated his emotional farewell on Sunday in a friendly against Newcastle (1-1).
Now he is heading to North America, where he will join the sixth-placed team in the Western Conference. LAFC has won ten of its 22 games so far, with six draws and six defeats. The regular season in the MLS runs until mid-October, after which the play-offs will be held for the eight best teams in each conference.
Head coach Steve Cherundolo, a former Hannover 96 pro, said on Monday that he was looking forward to welcoming a player “that every team in our league, or maybe even in the world, would love to have in their squad.” LAFC has now officially won the race to sign him.