Pochettino says Jan Vertonghen is happy at Spurs

Jan Vertonghen is happy at Tottenham Hotspur. Mauricio Pochettino was directly asked about Jan's state of mind in a recent interview ahead of tomorrow's Europa League match, and the Spurs boss didn't mince words.

"Jan is an important player for Tottenham and for us," he said. "There are a lot of rumours and information and different situations, and for me it is easy because I don’t read, never... I know the players are sometimes affected by comments or rumours and they call me about [them] but Jan is a very important player for Tottenham and for me."

Poche went on to state that Jan was, as was believed, rested due to his performances with Belgium during the international break and not due to unhappiness or dissatisfaction with the central defender's form.

"I never hear from Jan that he wants to leave or change something," Pochettino said. "After it is impossible to hear or to trust in other people around him because for me it is important when we have a chat inside my office that never Jan told me he wants to leave the club.

"I have trust in my player and Jan never told me about that. He is happy at Tottenham. Maybe sometimes he wants to play more but my decision is to take a decision. He is happy and I'm happy with him."

The rumors that Vertonghen didn't start against Manchester City due to dissatisfaction or a falling out with Pochettino never seemed to carry much water. However, it seems pretty clear that Jan would love to be playing Champions League football right now, and he's a good enough defender to play for a CL-caliber team. While Jan still has four years left on his current contract, he has already refused to sign a contract extension this fall, which has led to some speculation amongst the English footballing media.

We'll have to wait and see how this season plays out, but for now, let's take both Vertonghen and Pochettino at their words and ignore things like body language and media rumors.

You can catch part of the interview in the video below.