On the latest episode of the Last Word On Spurs podcast, Ricky Sacks, Lee McQueen, Jamie Brown and Jason McGovern have been reviewing Tottenham Hotspur’s 2019/20 campaign, with a focus on key results across the season, the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino and appointment of Jose Mourinho, and the best and worst performers for the Lilywhites.
One topic of conversation on the recent episode, which was titled ‘2019/20 Season Review & Awards‘, was Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian defender left Spurs in July after his contract expired, having made 315 appearances for the Lilywhites during his eight-year spell at the north London club. However, it seems as if McQueen feels that the 33-year-old shouldn’t have even been with the Lilywhites this season, considering his contract situation.
Here’s what he had to say about the former Ajax man on the podcast:
“We’ve just done an amazing show with Jan Vertonghen and rightly so and he deserves it, but he shouldn’t have been at the club if he wasn’t going to commit.”
TIF Thoughts…
Considering Vertonghen made 23 appearances in the most recent Premier League season and averaged a solid 6.79 rating (per WhoScored), it is perhaps harsh to suggest that he shouldn’t have been with the club, as he was seemingly still committed in his performances, despite his contract situation. The centre-back’s only top-flight goal of the season also came in the dying stages against Wolves in their 2-1 win back in December, which obviously proved to be hugely important in terms of Spurs finishing ahead of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in the final standings.
Do you agree that Vertonghen should have left earlier?
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However, we can understand why McQueen feels that the Belgian defender shouldn’t have been with the club, as Spurs could have perhaps moved him on for a fee last summer, rather than losing him for nothing this summer.