Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga has admitted he would love to retire at the club. The 20-year-old has made three appearances for the first team this season and appears to have already made a positive impression on Jose Mourinho and the club’s supporters.
It’s very early days in the right-footed centre-back’s career but the signs look promising after the recent praise the manager had for him (via TalkSPORT) and as a result, these fans are optimistic about what the future may hold for Tanganga and Spurs. His comments (as reported via The Independent) demonstrate the affection he has for the North London club.
Is Tanganga ready to play a regular part in the first-team?
Yes
No
The defender said: “I’ve been at Tottenham for a long time since I was 10 and they’ve helped me a lot.
“This club is fantastic, the staff, the coaches, everyone has just helped me. The club means a lot to me, having been with them for so long. Of course, I’d love to stay with them as long as I could and go on until I retire. But that’s for the club to deal with me and for me to focus on the pitch and deliver as much as I possibly can.”
These were relayed by Last Word on Spurs on Twitter and left many of the club’s faithful salivating at the mouth.
Stop it now. We already think you are the next Maldini as it #COYS
— ????? (@adkells81) January 15, 2020
The next gen ledley
— Aaron Jepson (@AaronJepson94) January 15, 2020
SIUUUUU
— Ben (@MolesBen) January 15, 2020
WE LOVE YOU!
— ello (@emlndn) January 15, 2020
Hopefully the board read this as he seems keen to stay.
— Mark (@Coys_77) January 15, 2020
Just keep going the way you are now and that won’t be a problem.
I can see him in midfield with his pace and power.— ricky tickler (@deannosbest) January 15, 2020
Give the man a 20 year contract
— Steve (@steview6203) January 15, 2020
Love this guy !! #COYS
— MAYUR KOTECHA (@MAYURKOTECHA1) January 15, 2020
What do we think?
The youngster has certainly started on the right foot and could go on to be a future England star someday should things continue in an upward trajectory, but we advise caution just simply because of the little experience he currently has.
It appears he’s well on his way to winning the trust of Mourinho with the appearances he has made to date and that’s the first step in cementing his place in the first-team setup moving forwards. It will certainly be an interesting watch seeing how the 20-year-old develops and if he continues to perform as well as he has started, it would be no surprise to see many of the Tottenham faithful want to keep him at the club until he decides to call time on football.