In a report that’s sure to annoy every Spurs fan (albeit for different reasons) aside from those living in Korea and the surrounding area, Sami Mokbel has a paywalled report in the Daily Mail that hints that Spurs are planning yet another preseason tour to the Asia this coming summer.
Mokbel says that Spurs are in the final planning stages for the preseason tour, which would be the fifth consecutive tour to Asia. Spurs haven’t traveled outside of the Asia region (apart from Australia) since 2018. The report states that a match in South Korea, where Son Heung-Min is insanely popular, is likely and that discussions have also taken place about a match in Hong Kong. While nothing is finalized, there have also been talks about a preseason “friendly” North London Derby match against Arsenal somewhere on the Asian subcontinent.
Why will this annoy Tottenham fans? Well, for different reasons. English fans don’t like preseason tours in general because it’s another symptom of the globalization of the sport over the past 20 years, and because it adds additional strain on the players at a time when they should be preparing for a grueling season. English fans just want their clubs to stay home. Non-Asian international fans won’t like this because Spurs seemingly ALWAYS go to Asia, in part due to Sonny but also because the club has deep marketing ties to Asian companies, most notably shirt sponsor AIA. Put it another way: Spurs have been to the United States in preseason twice: in 2014, when they visited Chicago in addition to other cities in USA and Canada; and three years later when they traveled to Nashville for the International Champions Cup (ICC). To my knowledge they’ve never traveled anywhere but USA, Asia, or Australia since I’ve been a fan.
While it’s nice and cool that Asian soccer fans get a chance to see Sonny and their preferred football club in person, it’s been 7 years since they’ve gone anywhere BUT Asia (they didn’t do preseason tours in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID restrictions). It’s also especially weird that Spurs have spent all this time and money fostering connections to the NFL and don’t capitalize on it by sending the soccer to the States. Meanwhile, Manchester United, Bournemouth, Everton and West Ham ARE likely to head to the States as part of the Premier League Summer Series, with games taking place in Chicago, Atlanta, and New Jersey.