:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67145381/1250463190.jpg.0.jpg)
Jan Vertonghen has left Tottenham Hotspur and is no longer a Spurs player, but that doesn’t mean we all don’t still care about what happens to him in the next phase of his career. According to one journalist on Twitter, Super Jan’s next stop may be to Italy, and to a Serie A club that Spurs fans are familiar with — A.S. Roma.
#ASRoma are in advanced talks with Jan #Vertonghen. Franco #Baldini has offered a contract until 2022 (€3M/year) with an option for another season to sign the belgian centre-back. #transfers https://t.co/XcjcUmA8K0
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) August 2, 2020
Roma would be a pretty nice landing place for Super Jan. The pace of Italian football is slower than that in the Premier League, meaning that there’s a better chance that Vertonghen can prolong his career as he enters his twilight years. Franco Baldini is a former Director of Football at Spurs and consultant to Roma, and while he didn’t sign Vertonghen during his tenure in London, he certainly overlapped with Jan’s time and knows what kind of player he is. If he ends up at Roma, Vertonghen would also reunite with former Tottenham defender Federico Fazio, who was frequently in the lineup for Roma (when he wasn’t injured).
The reported salary of €3m/year would represent a pay cut from what he earned at Spurs (£52k/wk vs. nearly £60k/wk) but that should probably be expected for a player at his age. Regardless, it seems like it’d be a good fit for him, and I’d be pretty happy to buy one of Roma’s sexy new kits with Vertonghen on the back. Just so long as we don’t have to play against him in the Europa League this coming season.