Vertonghen hints at new Tottenham contract
Jan Vertonghen insists he still has “a couple of good years” left at the highest level and hinted he could yet sign a new contract at Tottenham.
The 32-year-old has entered the final year of his deal and, asked if he is in contract talks ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Bayern Munich, he said: “I prefer not to go too deep into that but there’s always some movement everywhere.”
“[My future] is not a distraction,” he added. “I’m very aware of my age. I feel fairly young and it doesn’t distract me. I want to play as many games as I can at the highest possible level, that’s what we are doing now and that’s what we are doing tomorrow. I’m very ambitious and I feel I’ve got a couple of good years left in me, that’s definitely how I’m feeling now. I hope I can help the team as long as I can.”
Pushed on whether he has a long-term future at Spurs, Vertonghen said: “It’s my eighth season now, I had a great past, I’m feeling great at the moment in every single way here. That’s the only thing I want to say about that.”
Manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “I am open to everything, but [Vertonghen’s contract] is a dealing between the club, him and his agent. Let’s see what happens. Jan, after five years that we are all together, is always an important part of my project. That feeling isn’t going to change.” Vertonghen has been a regular since Pochettino’s arrival in 2014 but he was left out of the XI for the opening three matches of the season, prompting speculation that the manager was preparing for a future without the Belgian. Vertonghen insisted his desire to play remains as fierce as ever but admitted he is still working to get back to his best. “We can only have 11 on the pitch and seven on the bench and I wasn’t there,” he said. “I want to play every game, in that way I was disappointed. You’re not a player if you are not disappointed when you don’t play. That shows that I am ambitious and I want to play every game.