Tottenham need to act now to retain Toby Alderweireld

As negotiations for a new contract continue, Tottenham run the real risk of losing one of their most valuable parts in centre-back Toby Alderweireld.

The Belgian’s agent delivered an ultimatum Monday, demanding that Tottenham either offer an improved deal or allow a bidding war from other clubs.

Under the terms of the contract Alderweireld signed when he arrived at the club in 2015, Spurs retain his services until 2019, at which point they have an option of activating a one year extension. Should that extension happen though, he will have a £25 million release clause added on to his contract.

The sense of urgency is somewhat reduced by those two remaining years of control from Spurs, but that will not stop Alderweireld and his camp from rumbling in the mean time.

From Spurs perspective, there are two clear sides to this issue.

For one, Alderweireld represents perhaps the most singularly talented centre-back in the Premier League. He was a key factor in Mauricio Pochettino’s defensive realignment two seasons ago, one that arguably made Spurs into title contenders.

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On the other hand, Alderweireld is 28, making him one of the oldest members of an especially young squad. There’s a healthy chance that Spurs might not be compelled to extend the contract of a 30-year-old come 2019 when they have the opportunity.

Both halves of the issue make this a similar case as the one Spurs faced with Kyle Walker. Do you retain a high performing — but aging — part of the team who wants a better deal Spurs might not be able to afford, or do you sell him at peak value while the transfer market is in the midst of an unprecedented bubble?

With the transfer window having concluded last week, Spurs intentions are clear. They will hold onto Alderweireld for now, and hopefully work out a deal that will see him compensated closer to the amount he thinks he’s worth.

Pochettino said as much last month, when he claimed that negotiations would recommence in earnest following the closure of the transfer window. Even the arrival of Davinson Sánchez and Juan Foyth should not be interpreted as the club preparing for a post-Alderweireld world.

That said, Sánchez’s record-breaking arrival in particular makes it clear that the club are not content with relying on Alderweireld too heavily. The Colombian will come in as cover for Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Eric Dier, but could very well also become competition for Spurs’ established centre-backs. 

With only one year of top flight European football at Ajax to his credit though, there is no reason to think that Sánchez — or anyone else currently at the club — can replicate the influence of Alderweireld. He is precisely as vital to the club as his agent suggests, and would be for any other club who is willing to pay for his services.

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Which should compel Spurs to play ball — perhaps even by paying Alderweireld beyond the club’s self-imposed weekly wage limits. Until Sánchez or Foyth or anyone else can prove that they can adequately fill any void left by Alderweireld, the club should do whatever it can to retain him.