Arsenal are reportedly amongst the clubs interested in swooping for Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld this summer, with the player said to have a £25million release clause in his current contract.
The 30-year-old defender has been a stalwart for Pochettino and Tottenham and it would be a huge blow if he were to leave the club this summer. But if Tottenham fail to win the Champions League, it will be another trophyless season for the club and time is running out for Toby to be at the top level and win big trophies.
Personally I can’t see him going to Arsenal. The chance of major honours is higher at Tottenham currently than it is at Arsenal. It could only be a tempting financial package that could possibly sway Toby’s decision, with the Gunners able to offer higher wages in general across their squad.
A team that can offer both high wages and new optimism for titles next season is Manchester United. United are another club listed with interest in the Belgian international and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be desperate to add a defender with such quality and Premier League experience.
Earlier in the month The Sun reported that Manchester United were back in for Toby.
Whilst we don’t want to lose him, there’s not a lot we can do if the £25million clause is true and the player wants to leave. In that case, it may be wise for the club to look to replace him immediately with a young top quality defender.
Spurs already have Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen, as well as emerging young talent Juan Foyth. But with Pochettino’s tendencies to sometimes deploy a back three, the club would need to replace Alderweireld.
Personally I would love to see a young powerful defender like Dayot Upamecano join the club. He’s quality on the ball and I feel would be well-suited for Pochettino’s style of play and the Premier League.
