OPINION
Tottenham fans must be thrilled as defender Toby Alderweireld said all the right things when probed about his long-term future.
The 30-year-old centre-back is currently away on international duty with Belgium but when giving an interview on Tuesday, an interviewer was determined to probe the player about his future.
“What about the next step for you beyond the end of the season is this something you think about? What are the factors you need to consider ahead of deciding whether you’ll remain at Tottenham in the long-term?” asked the interviewer (Sky Sports News, Tuesday March 19th, 15:46).
Alderweireld replied: “To be honest there’s a lot to play for this season and I have a year on my contract left at Spurs so, I don’t look further than this season, and with others things I don’t know but I’m very happy at Spurs so let’s see what the future holds.
Despite this answer trying to put to bed any doubt about his Tottenham future, Alderweireld was then asked about whether the fact he is 30-years-old means that his next career move is one that he needs to get right.
“Yeah but I still feel very good, I’ve played a lot of games this season, so I’ve shown that I’m fit, I don’t feel 30, I feel young, so no I’m very happy and I’m just trying to go game by game, and there’s a lot to play so I will give my best for them.”
While Alderweireld didn’t conclusively say he was ready to be at Spurs for the long-term, all his remarks suggest that it could be an option he’d be keen on.
The key Spurs player, who has wowed in the majority of his 38 outings this season, kept reiterating he was happy at the London club despite the interviewer clearly trying to get him to say otherwise.
Given that Spurs fans will want Alderweireld to stay as long as possible then this remarks will fill them with hope that perhaps he will be at the club beyond his contract expiring in 2020.