Tottenham Hotspur have been brilliant at keeping on top of contract situations, and the 30-year-old is perhaps the player they should look to discuss terms with next.
While some sides will look to use the international break to get some January plans prepared, consider tactics ahead of the busy Christmas period or even look for a new manager, other teams may be using the break to see if there are any player contracts they need to look at in the near future.
With Tottenham usually excellent at making sure that the players they want to keep are always tied down to long-term deals, there are not too many contracts that may currently be giving Daniel Levy something to think about.
Any deals Spurs hand out right now would arguably be designed to reward the particular player rather than out of necessity, but perhaps Levy may soon want to tackle a couple of the deals that are not exactly urgent but do expire in the next couple of years.
One contract that Spurs should consider tackling next if they do decide to get some new terms thrashed out in the near future is the deal belonging to Jan Vertonghen.
Vertonghen’s current deal, which he signed last year, runs until 2019, according to the Guardian. And while the 30-year-old’s age may make Levy hesitant about opening fresh talks, the Belgian’s influence on Mauricio Pochettino’s side surely makes extending that contract further a wise move.
The defender’s versatility means that he can be a key player whatever system Pochettino uses, and he is arguably one of a number of leaders within the squad.
The form and consistency that he has shown since his arrival in the Premier League surely means that he could continue to contribute on a regular basis even when he reaches an age which sees many players’ performances begin to drop off.
It is certainly not an urgent matter for Levy to contend with, but it would arguably be another statement from Spurs in what has been an extremely encouraging season if they extended Vertonghen’s contract in the near future.
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