Tottenham fans are rejoicing over the news that Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new five-year contract. Toby Alderweireld is not excited.
Thursday was a banner day for Tottenham in the minds of most Spurs fans. Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to pen a new five-year-contract with the club was met with nearly universal praise. Unfortunately, Pochettino’s decision isn’t great news for Toby Alderweireld.
Pochettino’s signature on the dotted line of his new deal likely serves as a death warrant for Alderweireld’s time at Tottenham. Absent a significant shift in the attitude of either the manager or centre back, he’ll almost certainly play his football somewhere else next season.
Spurs have already set their sights on a number of potential replacements. Matthijs de Ligt is the team’s top target, but Newcastle centre back Jamaal Lascelles isn’t far behind. Any centre back the club sign this summer will have enormous shoes to fill.
For the majority of his Spurs career Alderweireld was one of the best central defenders in Europe. He isn’t an immense athlete but his innate ability to read the game at the back allows him to snuff out attacks before they develop.
On the ball he’s a true maestro from the back line. His long diagonals frequently serve as the precursor for dangerous Tottenham attacks. Alderweireld’s ability to set up his teammates’ attack might be even more valuable than his ability to stop the opponent from troubling Hugo Lloris.
The logical question to ask is what went wrong between Pochettino and Alderweireld. Details about the conflict between the two Spurs luminaries are sketchy at best. Fans only know a few things for certain.
First, it’s clear that Alderweireld wants to be paid like the best centre back in Europe. That almost certainly isn’t going to happen at Tottenham. Even if Pochettino believes he is that good, the financial restraints of the club’s wage structure make compensating him in that fashion impossible. It’s clear Alderweireld and his representatives made a wage request that Tottenham simply cannot accept.
It’s equally clear that Pochettino soured on Alderweireld’s impact on the team sometime in the last year. He was a constant in his manager’s starting XI before suffering a serious leg injury this year. That opened the door for Davinson Sanchez to take his place.
It’s impossible to know when Pochettino’s doubts about Alderweireld’s attitude or play on the pitch began. It’s quite likely his concerns are why the club made such a bold move to buy Sanchez last summer.
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The truth of the matter is none of these details really matter. Alderweireld has his mind made up to leave Tottenham and Pochettino thinks he can manage just fine without him. The only remaining question is whether or not another club is willing to give the Belgian what he wants.