The Toby Alderweireld saga continues courtesy of Roberto Martinez.
Toby Alderweireld has been in the media spotlight ever since the rumours surrounding his future began, and now, even his international manager Roberto Martinez is adding fuel to the fire.
The 29-year-old was at the forefront of everyone’s discussions a few months back, and that was before the Tottenham star even picked up an injury. As reported by The Guardian, however, Belgium boss Martinez seems insistent on Alderweireld starting for Spurs from now until the end of the season.
“Every player needs to get a really good period of football now,” Martinez told the Guardian.
“Seven weeks is not a lot of time. Certain players that play a lot of minutes, the playing time now is not essential. But other players who have not played that much, and Toby can be one of those. It is important.”
While Tottenham Hotspur will be happy to oblige, that kind of pressure is not going to help the relationship that Martinez wants to form with both the defender and the club. Of course, the point he is making is entirely accurate, but it is not about that – it is about not discussing those kinds of things in the media, especially given everything else surrounding Toby Alderweireld regarding his future.
The two issues may not seem related but it all builds up to form a layer of pressure, which is ironic, given that just a few days ago it seemed as if being on international duty was helping Alderweireld to re-focus. If he is fit and able to play then he will definitely get in the squad, but it is up to Pochettino regarding whether or not he starts in domestic games.
He starred in Belgium’s recent win against Saudi Arabia, which will give Spurs fans hope that he can feature against Chelsea this weekend in their huge Premier League encounter.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
