Michel Vorm Signs New Tottenham Deal
Tottenham have just secured their latest player to a new deal, Michel Vorm. Although Vorm’s extension is until 2018, Spurs continue to keep ahold of their own.
‘Tis the season to be jolly… or in Tottenham’s case, it’s giving. Giving, as in awarding players contract extensions and keeping valuable pieces on Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
Since the end of the 2015-16 Premier League there has been at least over a dozen Spurs players who have signed new deals in an attempt to maintain a sense of continuity from season to season.
Tottenham’s spine (Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembélé, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris) have all received an extension. This in of itself is something to marvel at as it embodies a good mixture of young players and experienced veterans alike.
But mainly, keeping all six players who have played a key role in setting Spurs up to become a balanced unit: very good offensively and great defensively.
Adding Michel Vorm to the list of contract extensions means Lloris has a solid backup that Pochettino can rely on when the French international needs a rest or is injured.
Although Vorm’s deal lasts until 2018, goalkeepers can generally play until their 40s and right now the Dutchman is still relatively young at 33-years-old.
Speaking to Spurs’ official website, Michel Vorm talked about how easy of a decision it was to extend his stay in north London, joining Hugo Lloris in signing a new deal.
“It’s special [to sign a new contract],” Vorm said. “When you come here you have expectations but you don’t really know what’s going to happen, although over the years I think I’ve done well on every level in the club and I think it’s very important for me to see how it is to be at a big club.”
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“The fact that I can extend my contract here is very positive. I’m very happy here, my family is very happy and I’ve got a lot of respect for the staff and the players. To be honest, I can’t name a negative point.”
As the eldest player on Mauricio Pochettino’s young squad, being able to help teach everyone — even helping Hugo Lloris, yes — is a great feeling for Michel Vorm.
It should come as no surprise that he is respected among his peers and coaches too, not only due to his age, but his work rate on the training ground and on the pitch.
“I feel respected by the squad and I’m the oldest in the group as well, so that’s special in the way that you try to help the younger lads – not only the goalkeepers, but also the outfield players in achieving big things,” Vorm added.
“To keep Hugo sharp too – I think that goes very well. The respect that I get from the staff and the connection I’ve got with everybody, especially with [goalkeeping coach] Toni Jiménez and the other goalkeepers – that makes me very happy.”
When speaking about the club’s progress in these past two-and-a-half years, the Dutch international noted that it has gone by pretty quickly. But that Spurs still have a lot to learn. They have plenty of room to continue growing.
“I think everybody is maybe surprised that it’s going so quickly, but that’s also a big credit to the staff,” Michel Vorm explained.
“Mauricio Pochettino came here with his staff, obviously he did well with Southampton but to work at a bigger club is always much more difficult and he’s shown with hard work and with a certain vision that we’ve made big, big steps in the last two-and-a-half years and I think we’re still growing.”
“Last season we had an amazing season, we ended up third and got into the Champions League, this season we were unhappy at what happened in the Champions League but it’s also a big, big lesson for the future.”
“You can also see that with the new stadium coming up, Wembley sold out, things like that, we’ve progressed and we still compete with the top teams in the league so it’s been a great ride but we’re still going up.”
Next: Tom Carroll's Days at Tottenham are Numbered
Even with just 26 appearances for Spurs since joining from Swansea City in July 2014, Michel Vorm has proven to be a reliable goalkeeper whenever called upon.
He has helped oversee a major transition with the club during his tenure from Pochettino’s squad shake-up to how the defense has morphed into the Premier League’s best in a year.
As for Vorm’s most notable contribution, that would be helping guide Tottenham all the way to the 2014-15 League Cup final. Since that debut campaign, the 33-year-old has been steady between the sticks and that’s all that everyone could ask for from a solid backup goalkeeper.