WE’RE HOT SPURS NOT ROT SPURS

Jan: Poch aces are all fired up

JAN VERTONGHEN has laughed off talk that Tottenham are going stale.

Spurs have made an underwhelming start to the new season, with boss Mauricio Pochettino claiming “different agendas” are ruining team spirit.

But Vertonghen insists things are far from gloomy – in Europe at least.

Seven years ago when the defender signed from Ajax, Spurs were starting a Europa League campaign in a group with Lazio, Maribor and Panathinaikos.

Now they are set to face mighty Bayern Munich tonight in the Champions League after reaching the final of the competition last season.

Asked if Spurs were going stale, Vertonghen said: “No, I don’t share that feeling at all. We’ve come a long way.

‘‘We shouldn’t forget we’ve worked very hard to get to this stage.

“We reached the final. Compared to the group we had when I first came, that’s the perfect example of how well we’ve done.

“It shows what we’ve achieved and we can achieve more. We’re still hungry.”

Vertonghen, who is out of contract next summer, missed the first three games of the season in what Pochettino insists was a tactical decision.

But he is back in the fold and, with Spurs breaking club policy to hand 30-year-old Moussa Sissoko a new four-year deal, the Belgium defender has new hope of a long extension himself.

Vertonghen, 32, said: “My contract is not a distraction.

‘‘I’m very aware of my age but I feel like I still have good years left in me.

‘‘I was disappointed not to start the season but that shows I’m still ambitious.”

Pochettino admits it’s up to him and his staff to keep things fresh. He recently hinted a busy January transfer window would be needed, but yesterday he said: “I am so happy with the squad.

‘‘There is no point in talking about that, the point is that we must try to try to help them perform the way we expect.

“We are all responsible for creating the feeling it was not the best to start with.

“But when the transfer window closed I was very clear the players were committed to giving their best.

“There is no doubt about the players’ commitment. With a one-year contract or a five-year contract – that is not an excuse.

“It’s clear we need to evolve, to find new ways to motivate the players from the coaching staff, to try to do something different.”