Tottenham centre-back Toby Alderweireld is set for a u-turn and is keen to commit his long-term future to the club, according to Football Insider.
The 30-year-old is out of contract next year and could have left for £26m this summer as per his release clause but no club came in for him before the deadline, which was two weeks before the English transfer window ended.
Now, Football Insider claims that there is growing confidence that Alderweireld will sign a new contract that will double his salary to £120,000-a-week.
The report states he is keen to sign new terms after previously wanting to leave for a new challenge.
TiF Tactics – Alderweireld staying would be huge boost for Poch
Alderweireld was frozen out of the side by Pochettino towards the end of the 17/18 season but has played his way back into the manager’s favour.
He’s played every Premier League game this season alongside Davinson Sanchez, with Jan Vertonghen on the bench.
According to stats site WyScout, he boasted an 89.8% pass success rate last season that he’s got above 90% in the 19/20 campaign.
He made 5.2 interceptions and 3.23 clearances per 90 minutes in 18/19 and they’re both up to 5.66 and 3.26 respectively this season. Sanchez has made 4.88 interceptions and 2.34 clearances per 90 minutes this season.
Given his form for Tottenham and Belgium (he’s won 92 caps for his country) it was surprising that there wasn’t a queue of clubs after his signature this summer but Spurs are now looking to take advantage of this by signing him to another long-term contract.
With the current uncertainty over Christian Eriksen, securing Alderweireld would be a huge boost for Pochettino.