Tottenham drama: It’s time for Pochettino and Alderweireld to mend fences

Toby Alderweireld will not be heading to Manchester United after all. Now it’s time for him to be reintegrated into the Tottenham starting XI.

Tottenham may not have signed anyone this summer, but that doesn’t mean they’ve returned the squad most football observers expected. Many pundits and fans deemed it a mortal lock that Toby Alderweireld would head to Manchester United this summer. Instead, he’s still a member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for the moment.

There’s always the possibility he could be shipped abroad given the fact that other European transfer windows are still open, but that wouldn’t be the right move for Spurs. It’s time to get Alderweireld and Pochettino in the same room and force them to hash out their differences. It might require both men to swallow their egos, but it’s what’s best for the club.

The reality is Alderweireld is one of the best centre backs in the world when he’s fit and firing. It is a reasonable question to ask whether or not he can get back to that level after what amounts to a lost season. At the very least, Spurs need to do everything in their power to help him reach those heights again.

It wasn’t so long ago when he, countryman Jan Vertonghen, and Davinson Sanchez formed a formidable back three for Pochettino’s defence. There’s no reason to think that trio can’t unite once again to help win tough matches for Spurs. Playing three central defenders at a time might also help cover up the lack of healthy midfielders Tottenham currently have in the squad.

In a perfect world, Pochettino and Alderweireld could repair their relationship enough to convince the defender to sign a new contract at Spurs. That might be a little too much to hope for, but it’s not out of the question. The two proud men are going to spend a lot of time around one another in the near future. It’s not impossible to believe they can rekindle an excellent working relationship.

No one knows exactly what happened to drive such a wedge between the manager and his centre back, but truthfully, that doesn’t matter anymore. What’s important now is that pair of Spurs get on the same page moving forward. If that happens, Alderweireld could really emerge as a player who can function like a “new signing” for Tottenham this season.