Tottenham’s Numbers for Vertonghen’s New Contract
Tottenham and Jan Vertonghen are hammering out a £16.4 million contract extension that will increase the Belgian’s weekly wages to £70,000-per-week and will expire in 2020.
About a week ago, there was word that Tottenham were ready to offer a contract extension for Jan Vertonghen after his marvelous play this season. At the time, numbers had not been given out, but it seems both sides are close to agreeing on terms based on a report by Football Insider.
According to Football Insider’s sources, the numbers that have been thrown around is a £16.4 million deal, with wages of £70,000-per-week and the contract extension expiring in 2020. An initial guess on the previous Hotspur HQ article (in the related section) was to see a £20-30,000 increase on wages, along with two to three years added on to the original contract when there was a brief hint that a new deal was being worked on.
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Originally, Jan Vertonghen was earning £40,000-per-week on a six-year-contract after joining the club in 2012 from Ajax. At the time, those were solid numbers for the Belgian international to help shift Tottenham’s center-back position into a new era. One that would unfortunately be without Ledley King due to knee injuries.
But now, after putting in some great work over the years — some inconsistency here and there (it happens) — and making over 150-plus appearances, it was the right time to give Vertonghen an increase in his wages. After all, at the age of 28, Jan Vertonghen is not only important to the team based on his position as a central defender, but also as co-captain with Hugo Lloris and being another leader for a young squad.
Once an agreement is made, the only thing now for Tottenham is to wait and see how Vertonghen is progressing with his rehab after suffering a MCL injury against Crystal Palace, after — oddly enough — getting elbowed in the face by Connor Wickham (who was punished for his actions) and going down in Spurs’ own penalty box.
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Because February is nearly over, a possible return for Jan Vertonghen could be March. But then again, knee injuries, especially ligament damage, might push the Belgian international to come back in April. Just look at Clinton N’Jie’s own recovery time; he has yet to return after being injured in early December.
Since Vertonghen suffered his injury in late January and the fact that Kevin Wimmer has done exceptionally well playing alongside Toby Alderweireld. A slow rehab process is entirely possible.
And with Wimmer’s transition from backup to starter being so seamless, while also continuing to impress with each game, if Mauricio Pochettino wanted Tottenham’s team doctors to ease Vertonghen’s recovery time by not rushing things and making sure he’s completely healthy and fit. It wouldn’t be surprising to go that route.
Having depth and a “next man up” mentality, where players perform very well after someone is injured or out of form, makes it easy for the Argentine manager. In a way, it’s like rotating the squad for cup games. A slow rehab process helps players like Vertonghen and N’Jie fully recover from their injuries. Ryan Mason is a prime example: injured in late November who finally returned two days ago.
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But in any event, whenever a new long-term deal is finalized for the 28-year-old center-back, Vertonghen will become the 13th player to have signed a contract extension since Mauricio Pochettino has been manager. Which is a far cry from their previous regimes under managers who sold star players for profit. Players like Dimitar Berbatov, Luka Modrić and Gareth Bale quickly come to mind.
Pochettino has laid down the groundwork in terms of identifying players who will be the building blocks for Tottenham for years to come. And Jan Vertonghen is a big piece of that foundation moving forward.