Tottenham Hotspur centre back Jan Vertonghen’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, and currently, he has been unable to agree a new deal with the north London club. However, it has emerged that Inter Milan have reportedly made contact with the Belgian international about securing his services, which could present one of Spurs’ existing squad members with a golden opportunity to acquire a regular starting spot.
Toby Alderweireld was in a similar situation to his international compatriot but decided to put pen to paper on a new deal, and if Vertonghen goes, Davinson Sanchez should be made the 31-year-old’s new partner. Since arriving from Ajax for a then club-record £42m, the Columbian has made 76 top-flight appearances, helping his side to 41 Premier League victories and he has become an integral squad member. With a route to the starting eleven cleared via Vertonghen’s departure, the 23-year-old can kick on and usher in a new defensive era at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to form a partnership with Alderweireld.
Since joining in 2017 Sanchez has helped his side keep 21 clean sheets, conceding just 73 goals in that period. He has proven to be a capable operator at this level, and given his age, there is still plenty of opportunity for the Columbian to develop. Additionally, he has made two last man tackles in that period, while Vertonghen has not made one in the since Sanchez arrived at Tottenham Hotspur.
This season the Belgian has made marginally more tackles per game, 2.1 to Sanchez’s 1.9, along with 1.6 interceptions per match to the 23-year-old’s 1.4, as per WhoScored. However, there is not a significant disparity between those totals and given Sanchez is nine years Vertonghen’s junior, he is still learning the art of defending. Though one area where the Columbian exceeds his teammate is concerning his passing, averaging 56.3 per match, with an 85.3 per cent accuracy, while Vertonghen records 54.6 passes with an 82.7 per cent accuracy. Though there is little to separate the pair, it is clear that Sanchez is the better operator in possession.
Losing Vertonghen, valued at £16.2m (Transfermarkt), on a free transfer would not be catastrophic for Spurs. They already have an incredibly suitable replacement for the Belgian waiting in the wings who is at the right stage of his career to assume the responsibility and develop into one of the club’s leading defenders in the Premier League.
