Why Tottenham have proven they could afford to lose Toby Alderweireld this summer

Add as preferred source on Google

Tottenham are facing another contract stalemate as Toby Alderweireld is thought to be considering his future with the club.

The Telegraph report that his future has been cast in fresh doubt after he was left behind and not selected for the Champions League match against Juventus.

The Belgian international didn’t make the trip to Turin and considering he returned to first-team action last week, he is unlikely to be pleased at his omission.

Although the article speculates on the centre-back’s future, there is no evidence to suggest Alderweireld is looking for a move.

However, he is yet to agree a new deal and given the interest in him, a transfer could be on his mind.

Tottenham play a dangerous game when it comes to their contracts, as they refuse to pay what their competition is offering.

That is one key reason why they are at risk of losing their best players and speculation is taken more seriously by supporters as a result.

The Express reported last summer that Kyle Walker doubled his wages when he joined Manchester City.

Although money won’t be the main motivating factor behind a player leaving Spurs, it is certainly a factor.

Mauricio Pochettino didn’t look too worried during his pre-match press-conference, suggesting Alderweireld needed time to recover from his serious injury.

He isn’t ready for a huge game yet and the club have made the decision to leave him behind to benefit all parties long-term.

The Telegraph report the following quotes from the Argentine:

“It was a massive injury that we needed to be cautious over because we cannot put at risk his career. We designed a plan from day one to provide him the best route to recovery and be stronger than before.

“Of course, we are sorry for him because when you miss some games like Arsenal or the Champions League that we have worked a lot to try to play… I can understand.

“And we are frustrated too, because when you cannot play it is difficult to accept. The player always thinks he is fit, but it is our responsibility to take the best decision.

“He will be part of the team next Sunday against Rochdale (in the FA Cup) and, again, we are going to assess him day by day.”

There is every chance that Pochettino is being honest, but as the defender played against Newport County, it is known that he is available.

The manager has been reluctant in the past to rush players back from serious injuries.

Erik Lamela has had to accept his role as a bench player while he builds up his fitness.

Meanwhile, Danny Rose wasn’t immediately restored to the starting eleven after his time out on the sidelines.

That said, the Alderweireld’s future has been reported on and that begs the question, could Tottenham afford to lose him?

Since moving to Tottenham, Toby Alderweireld has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, if not Europe.

There won’t be a shortage of options for him if he does decide to push for an exit from the club.

However, Spurs are now in a position in which they don’t need to cave at each and every one of the defender’s demands in the talks over a new contract.

Now, they have proved they are able to cope without him.

During their last three Premier League fixtures, wins against Manchester United and Arsenal sandwich a hard-fought draw against Liverpool at Anfield.

They have taken seven points from arguably three of their hardest fixtures of the season and conceded only two goals in the process.

That is hugely impressive and the absence of Alderweireld evidently was not felt, with their opponents managing a combined 21 shots across the three matches.

Considering they were playing three of the best attacks in the Premier League, that record is incredible.

There will be many taking the view that Tottenham will be even more formidable when Alderweireld returns to the line-up, but a more controversial stance would be that the team no longer need the Belgian.

Although the club will want to keep hold of him, it has been proven that he isn’t as integral to this Tottenham team as many previously considered him to be.

The progression of Davinson Sanchez and reliability of Jan Vertonghen means that Pochettino has two other quality options, while Eric Dier is an able deputy.

Alderweireld will be back in the starting eleven soon as he has too much quality to sit on the sidelines, but he can no longer go into these contract negotiations and talk up his worth as recent evidence proves that the team can thrive without him.

The departure of Kyle Walker last summer showed that Tottenham can be ruthless with players making ultimatums and progress without them.

It would be a shame if the Belgian defender did leave at the end of the season, but Spurs could recover from it.