On the latest episode of the Last Word on Spurs podcast, Ricky Sacks, Lee McQueen, Richard Whitehead and Abbi Summers provided instant reaction to Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle United last weekend.
One topic of discussion on the recent episode, which was titled: ‘Game Gone Mad‘, was Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld.
The Belgian international has started just one of Spurs’ opening three Premier League fixtures, and after an arguably disappointing display against Everton, where he picked up a 6.61 rating, it is perhaps no surprise that he hasn’t been seen in Jose Mourinho’s starting eleven in the top-flight since.
The 31-year-old signed a new contract with the Lilywhites last season but it seems as if Summers believes that could have just been the club’s way of ensuring he doesn’t leave on a free transfer, rather than him continuing to be a first-team regular.
Here’s what she had to say about the former Ajax man during the podcast:
“It’s an interesting one with Toby because when he signed the new contract, for me, and I love Toby dearly, but I think that Toby has [shown] his age for quite a while now. He’s quite slow.
“I also don’t know necessarily if he can play two games in a week. I think the whole defence is quite questionable, I don’t think that Jose knows what the best partnership [is] and I think this is why they’re trying to get [Milan] Skriniar.”
She later adds:
“With Toby, I think when he signed the contract it was more about the fact that we didn’t want him to leave on a free. I think that next summer we quite possibly might see Toby go.
“I think that they didn’t want [Jan] Vertonghen and him to both be winding down the contracts and both potentially be leaving on a free, that’s why they wanted to get him signed up.
“It’s good to have the experience of Toby, he hasn’t lost his legs to the extent that Vertonghen had, but I think he hasn’t got a lot of pace anymore. I think we’ll probably see less and less of Toby as the season goes on, especially if we bring in Skriniar as well.”
TIF Thoughts…
As Summers mentions, Spurs are seemingly very interested in signing Inter defender Milan Skriniar before the transfer window shuts in early October, so perhaps if he arrives it will spell the end for Alderweireld’s time as a key centre-back for the North London club, with the defender having made 203 appearances for the Lilywhites so far in his career.
Can you see Alderweireld leaving Spurs?
Yes
No
Mourinho already has the likes of Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez, Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga as centre-back options in his side (per Transfermarkt), and considering that the Belgian is now 31 years old, perhaps it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get moved on next summer as Summers suggests.