Tottenham are locked in tense talks with Toby Alderweireld
Mauricio Pochettino likes to tell everyone that he doesn’t involve himself in Tottenham’s contract talks with various players. The Argentine gaffer may claim he isn’t involved in the club’s negotiations with centre back Toby Alderweireld, but that’s clearly a lie.
While I do believe Pochettino doesn’t personally involve himself in talks between Daniel Levy and Alderweireld’s representatives, to think he stays out of things entirely is foolish. His involvement in the process goes far beyond simply offering his advice to the higher-ups at Spurs.
Pochettino is clearly using the press to exert pressure on the Belgian defender. That’s precisely why he’s been so effusive with his praise of Tottenham’s other centre backs over the past 48 hours. First he backed Juan Foyth to have a magnificent career at the club, and now he’s publicly touting the excellent partnership between Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez.
Pochettino event went so far as to say that Vertonghen has the athleticism to play at a high level until he reaches the ripe old age of 40. That would give him another decade with Spurs. That, combined with the expected evolution of Foyth and Sanchez would certainly indicate that agreeing to a new deal with Alderweireld isn’t a necessity for the club.
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The Tottenham manager’s motives here are very clear. The subtext of his compliments about his other central defenders is that Alderweireld needs to get in line. Pochettino would be happy to see him get a significant raise, but he does not support the Belgian’s desire to triple his current salary.
That would bring Alderweireld’s compensation to somewhere around £150 thousand per week. Many Tottenham fans rightly point out that those demands aren’t outrageous for a centre back of his caliber. He could certainly get that sort of contract at a number of clubs across Europe.
The majority of Spurs fans also believe that Tottenham should give in to Alderweireld’s demands. That seems like a simple enough solution on the surface, but it would cost Levy a fortune in wages. Remember, we’re not just talking about Alderweireld’s potential raise. Shattering the club’s current wage structure would lead a number of players to demand immediate raises to keep pace with the classy defender’s new deal.
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Look for negotiations between Tottenham and Alderweireld to continue. They won’t proceed without even more involvement from Pochettino though. He likes to say he’s above such matters, but he’s making every attempt to force Alderweireld to get in line with the club’s wage structure.