“I feel responsible for his departure”: Heung-Min Son reveals it’s his fault for Antonio Conte exit from Tottenham

Tottenham star Heung-Min Son has revealed that he feels guilty and responsible for the sacking of his manager Antonio Conte.

Heung-Min Son was the joint-top scorer in the Premier League last season, helping Tottenham finish fourth under Antonio Conte, but the South Korean has only recorded six league goals this season.

The Italian Coach has left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent on Sunday, just eight days after he branded his players “selfish” subsequent to a 3-3 draw at Southampton. They still have ten more games to play. Tottenham has appointed Cristian Stellini as the temporary manager of the side with Ryan Mason named as his assistant manager.

What did Heung-Min Son say about Antonio Conte?

Speaking to the local media after South Korea’s 2-1 loss to Uruguay in a friendly game in Seoul on Tuesday, the former Chelsea boss mentioned, “As a player, I am really sorry. He’s a world-class coach, and we had a great journey together.”

“I thank him a lot. Currently, I do not know what other players are thinking about him, but I’m sorry to him. I couldn’t help the team and I feel responsible as he left the club. He surely has great ability and experience as a coach and I’m sure he’ll have great success in his other career.”

Son’s tribute to Conte comes despite the Italian openly criticizing his players, which prompted a sharp reaction from midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg not long after. Despite rumors that the squad was pleased when their boss left, the South Korean international’s explanation paints a different picture. This echoes the sincere message delivered by Swedish teammate Dejan Kulusevski who also felt sad at the sacking.

Why Antonio Conte was sacked?

Under Antonio Conte this season, Tottenham Hotspur has been knocked out of both domestic cup tournaments and the Champions League. They are currently sitting fourth in the Premier League with just 49 points from 28 games. Conte also had a difficult season, losing some close people over the past months and even having missed many games due to undergoing gallbladder surgery. He wanted to leave the club through many subtle indications in the past months. The final straw came when he lambasted his own players after the Southampton draw and subtly explained that Tottenham’s board is the problem.

Heung-Min Son scored twice in South Korea’s 2-2 draw with Colombia before the Tuesday loss to Uruguay. The South Korean talisman will hope to take this scoring run to his club form and help salvage Tottenham’s season.

Tottenham will be back in action on Monday against Everton.