TOBY, OR NOT TOBY

Chelsea will step up bid for Tottenham’s Alderweireld after Pochettino refused to rescue the Belgian’s World Cup dream

CHELSEA will step up their efforts to sign Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld after Mauricio Pochettino vowed he would not be pressurised into saving his World Cup dream.

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has warned Alderweireld that his place in Russia is at stake if he does not get more game time.

Manchester United and Barcelona are also circling with Spurs refusing to meet the defender’s demands for a new deal worth £150,000 a week.

But Alderweireld, 29, is set to remain on the bench for tomorrow’s trip to Chelsea. And Pochettino said: “I have an amazing relationship with Roberto. I understand his comment, like all the managers.

“If I am the Belgium manager, England manager or Argentina manager, I want all my players to play. But my focus is to manage Tottenham and win games with Tottenham. I cannot be kind with every single manager.

“Toby in the last four months has struggled with his injury. I am not going to change the system because Toby needs games for the World Cup.

“I need to pick two centre-backs and if you are happy, you keep that couple of players and he needs to wait.

“The interest for me is Tottenham, it’s about Tottenham winning. I understand his international manager, but what can I do?

“I need to pick the players I believe are the best players to win against Chelsea and then against Stoke.

“I cannot play with more than 11 and you need to chose. I agree that the players need to play and compete, but first of all every single player needs to show in the training session that they are better than their team-mate and then at that moment I pick. “I understand the manager, but what can I do? If he keeps working hard he is going to have the opportunity to play and compete, but he is an experienced player. “He needs to be fit and to be fit he needs to train every day.” Despite suggestions that Spurs would be reluctant to sell to Chelsea, the Blues believe Alderweireld’s expiring contract gives them a chance. The centre-back’s deal includes a oneyear extension option, scheduled to activate in the summer of 2019, which would see him contracted until 2020.

But it also has a £25million release clause that could be activated in the summer of 2019, as long as a transfer is completed at least 14 days before the end of the window.

Tottenham want around £55m for the defender, who joined them in 2015, but might have to settle for around £40m.

Since his arrival, the north Londoners have had the best defence in the Premier League. This season it is the third-best in the top flight with the Belgian currently out of the side.

Despite claims by his club that he is not fully fit, Alderweireld played 90 minutes for Belgium in the 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. He last played for Spurs in their 2-2 FA Cup draw at Rochdale on February 18.