Tottenham have managed to pull off a transfer miracle

Numerous teams headed into the summer looking for help at centre back, but amazingly no one came in for Tottenham star Toby Alderweireld.

When the summer transfer window opened it seemed obvious that Tottenham would be forced to part ways with Toby Alderweireld. The idea that such an accomplished centre back would be available for a release clause of just £25 million seemed to make his departure a certainty. Somehow, Spurs have managed to successfully avoid letting the Belgian go for such a paltry sum.

It’s somewhat baffling to try to explain how Tottenham managed such an improbable victory. The details of all of the negotiations will never fully be publicized, but we can make some reasonable assumptions about facts that have been released along the way.

For Tottenham fans, the most important fact is that Alderweireld’s release clause expired on Friday. According to EuroSport, any club that wants to purchase the talented defender how must meet Daniel Levy’s full asking price. The fact that he has just one year left on his current contract will still depress any potential transfer fee Spurs might be offered, but that’s not a problem from Tottenham’s perspective.

Alderweireld’s contract status is almost certainly the real reason why he’s still a Tottenham player at the moment. Earlier in the window, it seemed that Roma were surely going to meet his release clause and bring him to Serie A. Then reports popped up that claimed that Roma needed to reduce the transfer fee due to Alderweireld’s wage demands. It’s clear he is looking for a massive new deal.

Alderweireld’s wage demands ultimately proved to be Tottenham’s ace in the hole. Pundits seemed to forget that the player had a big say in his future. Alderweireld isn’t ready to commit his long-term future to Spurs, but that doesn’t mean he was desperate to leave. It’s fair to assume that Alderweireld’s representatives advised a number of clubs interested in his services that he had no interest of sanctioning a move.

Now Tottenham’s attention must turn to the issue of how long they can keep Alderweireld in North London. Don’t look for Spurs to move quickly on that front. They could easily wait until the season begins to reengage Alderweireld’s people on the subject. Mauricio Pochettino and company will be pleased with the situation regardless. They somehow have managed to hold on to a world-class centre back despite his availability on a cheap transfer fee.