Jan Vertonghen: I’m Very Happy to be Here at Tottenham
After signing a new deal, Jan Vertonghen reflected on his time with Tottenham and how he’s excited to remain with the club.
It’s been four years since Jan Vertonghen first joined Tottenham back in 2012.
Time as you know it, has flown by quickly. In these past four seasons, the Belgian international has racked up the third most appearances with 179, trailing only behind Hugo Lloris (184) and Kyle Walker (205).
In that time frame, Vertonghen who joined from Ajax as a then-25-year-old for only £10 million, has seen Tottenham change immensely.
“You know sometimes I’ll go back in the day talking to Mousa [Dembélé], Hugo or Kyle Walker, who have been on this road (journey) with me for those years, and time has gone quickly,” Vertonghen said on Tottenham’s official website.
“We’ll talk about the players who were here and have left, or the youth players like Harry [Kane] or Tom [Carroll] who we’ve seen come through the system and become great players for Tottenham. It’s funny, if you go four, five years back, to see where the Club has gone. A lot has changed and there is a great buzz around Tottenham.”
“I’m very happy to be here, the future looks great and I’m very happy to be part of it.”
Since joining Spurs, Jan Vertonghen has played for three different managers: André Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood and now Mauricio Pochettino.
There wasn’t any stability at the managerial position during Vertonghen’s first three years with Spurs, but now there is after Pochettino signed a contract extension at the end of last season.
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Perhaps that stability of having the same coach patrolling the touchline and becoming a part of a young group who is continuing to get better and better was just one reason why the now-29-year-old signed a new deal.
Another could be staying loyal to a team who has meant so much for the Belgian defender. In already his fifth season with the north London club, Jan Vertonghen has solidified himself as one of Spur’s best center-backs, as well as in the Premier League. Despite his age, Vertonghen continues to play at a high level at his position and is surrounded by other talented players.
It’s no surprise that he wanted to remain with Spurs for three more years. A move that made sense for him, to stay with one club for a long time like he did at Ajax previously.
“It’s my fifth season here. When I first joined, things were different with a different manager and still at the old training ground as well. A lot has changed.” Vertonghen said.
“This is an unbelievable group of talented guys and I feel privileged to be part of it. We’ve created a great atmosphere. The results haven’t been the best lately but you can still feel that this can be a great season for us.”
“[…] I’m the type of guy who likes to stay at a certain club or city for a longer time. I did that at Ajax and now I’m doing the same here. Like I said, it feels great to be a little part of the big part that is Tottenham. I can’t imagine playing somewhere else at the moment.”
“We have a great team with the technical staff, the medical staff, everyone around us, all great guys. It feels good to help Tottenham achieve the goals we want to achieve.”
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After following the likes of Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and many more before him in signing a contract extension, Jan Vertonghen knows that there is still work to be done. He touched on the subject a bit earlier, in that Tottenham’s previous 10 matches — nine of them — have not been good.
But even then, while things have looked bleak, this core group of players can turn things around. They can go on a winning run starting this Saturday when Spurs host Swansea City.
“I know we will.” Vertonghen said. “This is probably the strongest squad I’ve ever played in and I think everyone agrees with that. The confidence is there and we know we can turn things around – and that starts against Swansea on Saturday.”