The summer transfer window has slammed shut a few days ago, but all that means is that the winter transfer window is less than 120 days away, and the next summer bonanza another 120 after that. That’s practically tomorrow! So there’s little time to waste with such minute concerns as actual football.
Toby Alderweireld’s agent certainly subscribes to that view, getting right back down to business regarding his client’s contract at Tottenham Hotspur, where Toby’s joining the slowly growing list of players disgruntled with their owner’s stingy wage structure, especially in these days of multi-billion TV contracts and the like. Danny Rose going public with his frustrations is just the tip of the iceberg there.
Alderweireld, whom Chelsea really should’ve tried to sign from Southampton when they were more willing to sell players, has been with Spurs since 2015. He’s halfway through his contract and at 28 years of age, has one final big deal left in his career. Given Spurs’ reluctance to pay wages commensurate with the rest of the top six, if Alderweireld wants a proper big payday, he’s going to have to leave. Complicating matters for Spurs is a supposed clause in Toby’s contract that activates a £25m buyout if Spurs simply exercise their option for an additional year. These days, £25m is basically pocket change and an absolute bargain for arguably the best center back in the entire Premier League.
“Toby is always good. Even after his injury he recovered well. Tottenham’s statistics fell sharply during his absence. If you only look at his figures, Toby is impressive and for his performances, he deserves either a correct contract from Tottenham or a transfer.
“For a transfer, you know that he can only leave Tottenham for seven or eight teams and almost all the other top clubs are interested in Toby. There are not a lot of central defenders of his kind, so they are sought after. But those clubs also know that they have to negotiate with (Tottenham chairman) Daniel Levy.”
-Stijn Francis; source: Het Nieuwsblad via City Watch
The usual caveats of course apply, especially to Chelsea — it’s Spurs and it’s Daniel Levy — but they are going to have a tough task on their hands in the next few years in keeping not only Alderweireld, but the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Chelsea could do worse than to hang around and see if we can get lucky with a deal...