It seems as if centre-back Toby Alderweireld could be the first of Spurs’ ‘contract rebels’ to sign a new deal with the club after Jose Mourinho’s appointment last week.
According to DH (Sport Witness), the Belgian had anticipated signing a new contract with the club much earlier but things broke down. Interestingly, it’s stated that the defender had earlier demanded better wages to commit his future to Spurs, but Daniel Levy refused to meet his demands of €110,000 (£93,000) per week.
However, both Alderweireld and his agent are willing to reopen talks of a better deal with the North London side following Pochettino’s sacking.
Alderweireld signed for Spurs from Atletico Madrid in 2015 and the defender has gone on to make 173 appearances in his four years at the club. The 30-year-old defender was one of several players expected to be sold by the club in the summer but no club was willing to meet his reported £25 million release clause, so he was forced to stay.
After a disappointing start to the season under Pochettino, Alderweireld was granted a start in Mourinho’s first game against West Ham at the weekend; in which he produced a solid display as Spurs won their first Premier League away game since January. Now it seems that Alderweireld is ready to negotiate with the club once again, with the 30-year-old no doubt part of Mourinho’s defensive plans.
TIF Tactics:
Mourinho will surely be keen to keep a defender of Alderweireld’s quality and experience at the club, so it would not be a surprise to see the former Southampton defender sign a new deal in upcoming weeks. Otherwise, foreign clubs could approach the defender with his contract set to expire at the end of the season and the new boss will definitely want to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
Although, it remains to be seen as to whether Daniel Levy will be willing to meet his demands if he wasn’t convinced last time, but Jose Mourinho’s arrival could be a turning point in the matter.