Heung-Min Son Happy at Tottenham but Says 'I Came Close to Leaving'

Tottenham Hotspur forward Heung-Min Son says he couldn't be happier at Tottenham but revealed he almost left the club after his first season. 

Son was named Premier League Player of the Year at the London Football Awards on Thursday, but he nearly quit Spurs in 2016.

Per Dan Kilpatrick and James Olley of the Evening Standard, he said: "I came close to leaving. I went to the gaffer's office and told him I didn't feel comfortable and wanted to leave for Germany."

Son arrived in 2015 from Bayer Leverkusen, but he scored just eight goals in his first campaign at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino—who picked up the Manager of the Year award at the same ceremony—has been rewarded for sticking by the South Korean.

Son scored 21 goals the following season, which was the most prolific campaign of his career. Last season he netted 18 times, while this term he has 16 goals and nine assists to his name thus far.

His most recent effort came against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League:

Pochettino said:

"The adaptation is always so difficult. Today, patience in football is difficult. But always it is about time. You can learn a lot from these difficult moments. The conversation [with Son] was not only professional, it was human. Sonny was patient. He was happy with the decision and now we are seeing his best form."

Son is appreciative of the Argentinian putting his faith in him: "The gaffer trusted me, and I am so grateful. He made my dream come true. I am more than grateful [to him]—it is difficult to say. I have worked four years with the gaffer. It is just amazing."

This season, Son's best form came when Spurs needed it most, at a time when both Harry Kane and Dele Alli were sidelined through injury, as Kilpatrick noted:

Son's importance to the team has been growing in recent years, but his form in recent months has seen him recognised on a similar level to the likes of Kane, Alli and Christian Eriksen.

The award cements that, with Son having beaten Kane to it, along with Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It's clear his request to leave Tottenham is long in the past.

"I think I am the most happiest guy in the world, especially in the Premier League," he said. "It is an honour to play in the Premier League. When I see this award, I know I can't sleep tonight."