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Tottenham fans divided over selling Toby Alderweireld this summer

Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur looks dejected after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City at Wembley Stadium ...
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Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld is being heavily linked with a summer move away from the Premier League side.

Mauricio Pochettino manager

It appears that one of the questions that Mauricio Pochettino should expect to have to answer regularly during the coming months is whether Toby Alderweireld will still be a Tottenham player next season.

The Belgian has been a fantastic signing for Spurs and played a key role in helping the club establish themselves amongst the Premier League heavyweights. But it appears that his days with Tottenham could possibly be numbered.

Toby Alderweireld #4 of Tottenham Hotspur passes the ball in the second half against Roma during the International Champions Cup on July 25, 2017 at Red Bull Arena  in Harrison, New Jersey.

The Daily Mirror recently reported that the centre-back fears that he is being frozen out by Pochettino having been left out of the side that took on Chelsea at the weekend without an explanation being given. The Mirror adds that Spurs are not willing to meet the 29-year-old’s contract demands and there a number of clubs chasing his signature.

It is a complicated situation. According to The Telegraph, Alderweireld’s deal expires in 2019, and while Tottenham have the option to extend his contract by a further year, that would then leave the former Southampton loanee available for £25 million next summer, so selling him this summer may represent the best way to bag the kind of fee a player of his calibre should command.

(L-R) Toby Alderweireld and Heung-Min Son look on during a Tottenham Hotspur training session ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group H match against Real Madrid on October 31, 2017 in...

It appears to make the most financial sense to sell him this summer, but losing a player of his quality would be a major blow for Tottenham as they continue to try and establish themselves as contenders on multiple fronts.

The dilemma was reflected in the voting in a poll HITC Sport ran asking whether Spurs should look to sell Alderweireld this summer, with 52 per cent of the 338 who voted suggesting that the club should move him on at the end of this season, while 48 per cent want him to remain at the club beyond the campaign – perhaps in the hope that the two parties can reach an agreement further down the line.

It is highly possible that those numbers could change as the season continues – the defence that did play against Chelsea did very well – but right now it appears that a decent section of the fanbase may not be best pleased whichever route Spurs decide to go down at the end of the campaign.