Tottenham Hotspur moving to extend Jan Vertonghen’s contract by another year was huge.
The defender will be a Spurs player until the summer of 2020, after the club triggered an option to extend his existing deal.
It’ll mean that when he reaches that point in time, Vertonghen will have been at the club for eight years.
The Belgian has been a tremendous servant for the club since his move from Ajax back in 2012 and has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most consistent central defenders.
Despite his advancing years he is still one of Mauricio Pochettino’s most trusted players, and his extension is brilliant news for the club.
At the end of last term, he made the PFA’s Team of the Season. He also recently became Belgium’s most capped player ever.
The extension is also good because currently there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Vertonghen’s defensive partner and fellow countryman, Toby Alderweireld.
Vertonghen news comes just at the right time
The timing of the announcement of the contract extension was great from Spurs.
With speculation only increasing over Alderweireld as the January transfer window looms, it is important for the club to make sure they are set for life without him in case he does leave next month.
It’s important to secure as many other first-teamers as possible and the club have done just that in recent years to their credit.
Extending Vertonghen’s contract was a good first step in preparing for the possible eventuality of losing Alderweireld, who is one of the very best in the division in his position.