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Much has been made over the past year about the contract situation of Toby Alderweireld. Spurs’ Belgian center-back fell out of favor last season partially because his negotiations for a new deal with the club had stalled.
Discussions between those two parties may be getting back underway, but as they do another similar issue has surfaced in Tottenham’s defense. Jan Vertonghen’s contract expires at the end of this season, which means he would be eligible to sign a pre-contract with a new club this coming January.
That’s worrying, but Jan himself has come out and said that he expects the club to extend his deal by a year.
Jan Vertonghen: “My contract is expiring at the end of the season, but Tottenham have an option to extend it with one year. I think they will take up the option. We’ll see what happens.” #thfc #coys pic.twitter.com/5ko7BXJKdm
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) September 5, 2018
Vertonghen will turn 32 in April, but exercising this option should be an easy decision. He has shown no signs of slowing down. Instead, Super Jan is still one of the best defenders in the Premier League and in the world. Last year he was in the PFA’s Team of the Season, and this summer he was a prominent part of Belgium’s run to the semi-finals at the World Cup.
Alderweireld is the name often seen in the news, but make no mistake about it; Jan Vertonghen is the cornerstone of Mauricio Pochettino’s defensive unit.
It would make more sense just to give him a completely new contract. Why not tie him down for a few more years?
Jan is the longest serving continuous member of the senior squad. He joined in 2012 and has shown himself to be one of the best center-backs in the modern history of the club. In addition to his obvious talent, his passion, sense of humor, and professionalism have all endeared him to the fans.
Vertonghen has shown no desire to leave the club anytime soon. Allowing him to do so would be a terrible move, especially as Alderweireld’s future is still quite uncertain.
It’s clear that Jan has been a positive force on the development of Davinson Sanchez. The Colombian is the future of Spurs’ defense, but he’s young and probably not ready to take on the full responsibility of leading the back-line. That should still be Vertonghen’s job for the foreseeable future.
I realize that this is a lot to ask given how the summer has gone, but it would be nice if Spurs could address this matter promptly so we can stop worrying about the future of one of the best players at the club.