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Son Heung-Min to Fight for Place on Tottenham Squad

By Alexander Balano

ENFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Son Heung-min smiles during a Tottenham Hotspur training session ahead of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match against Fiorentina at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on February 24, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 24: Son Heung-min smiles during a Tottenham Hotspur training session ahead of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match against Fiorentina at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on February 24, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Son Heung-Min is determined to fight for his place on Tottenham’s squad despite the imminent arrival of Georges-Kévin N’Koudou and the fact that he will be away on international duty with South Korea’s Under-23 team for the Olympics.

Having just passed his medical on Tuesday, it’s only a matter of time before Georges-Kévin N’Koudou is officially announced as a Tottenham player. Once the France Under-21 international arrives to north London for pre-season training, someone’s roster spot could be in jeopardy.

Many news outlets speculate it will be Clinton N’Jie who will be the first to go this summer and join Olympique Marseille on loan. Perhaps Nacer Chadli could be sold to help balance Spurs’ books.

One person who doesn’t fear competition, just like N’Jie, is Son Heung-Min.

Related Story: Heung-Min Son Dismisses Tottenham Transfer Talk

From the Daily Mail, the South Korea midfielder/forward told reporters that he expects to challenge for his place on Tottenham’s squad this season.

"“There are always players that you have to battle for playing time, no matter which team you play for,” Son said.“There’s no reason why I should fall behind in the competition.”“To win the battle, I have to get better myself.”"

After joining Tottenham last summer on a £22 million move from Bayer Leverkusen, Son Heung-Min finished his debut season with Spurs appearing in 39 matches, scoring eight goals and notching five assists in all competitions.

Good numbers but not enough to justify his high fee when compared to the other four summer signings a year ago, all of which were below £15 million.

Then again, had Son not suffered a foot injury that kept him out of six games, plus the quick rise of Dele Alli, perhaps he could have scored more goals and had more assists as a starter rather than being relegated to a bench player.

DORTMUND, GERMANY - MARCH 09: Heung-Min Son (C) attends the Tottenham Hotspur FC training session prior to the UEFA Europa League match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Signal Iduna Park on March 9, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Bongarts/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 09: Heung-Min Son (C) attends the Tottenham Hotspur FC training session prior to the UEFA Europa League match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Signal Iduna Park on March 9, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

With the Rio Olympics starting two weeks from tomorrow, Son will miss the first month of the upcoming Premier League season because he will join South Korea’s Under-23 national team as an over-age player.

This means that with time running out, before he leaves, he has to work extra hard during pre-season to show Mauricio Pochettino that he deserves a spot on the 25-man squad for the 2016-17 campaign.

Because who’s to say that once Son’s away on international duty, that another player steps up in his absence — like Georges-Kévin N’Koudou for example (pending his signature).

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Despite the fact that he won’t be on Tottenham’s team for a number of weeks, Son Heung-Min is looking forward to the Olympics and hoping he can help deliver a gold medal for his country.

"“I am older and more experienced than other players, and so I think I have to be their leader,” the 24-year-old added.“I hope everyone will take the Olympics seriously.”“All the other countries will go for a medal, and we have to compete with a sense of responsibility.”"

Being grouped with Fiji, Germany and Mexico in Group C, their opening fixture is the easiest of the three, but even Son has warned everyone to not expect an easy win.

"“People seem to think we are supposed to beat Fiji, but I don’t think we should get ahead of ourselves,” Son continued.“You have to play the game.”“As important as the Germany match will be, I think winning the first match is the most crucial.”"

Next: Tottenham Could Still Deal N'Jie to Marseille

Including the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the event is set to run from August 5th through the 21st. By then, Son Heung-Min will miss the final pre-season game against Inter Milan and at least Tottenham’s season opener at Goodison Park against Everton on August 13.

Depending on how far South Korea goes, Spurs’ second match is a home game versus Crystal Palace on August 20. All in all, while the 24-year-old forward is looking to fighting for his place on this squad, the Olympics will be in his way.

It will be the second consecutive season in which Son’s progress has been halted because of something. First it was injury and now it’s the Olympics.

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