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Just eight months after being loaned to Premier League side Southampton, Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld could now be focusing on making a long-term move to England, as reports have confirmed that Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino has his eye on the star.
In September 2014, it was confirmed that Alderweireld would be loaned to Southampton from Atlético Madrid, for whom he has had 12 appearances since joining in 2013. Alderweireld was joined by Sadio Mane from Red Bull Salzburg at the time, and would likely have been a welcome addition to a team which recently lost some of its star players, including Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert.
Now, having shown off some impressive skills in the Premier League – indeed, Southampton now has the best defensive record this season – Pochettino is keen on signing the 26-year-old. The Tottenham star even made the same move himself over from St Mary’s in May 2014, when he was appointed head coach for the team.
It was recently reported by The Daily Telegraph that the Saints had a £6.8 million option to make the Belgium international’s move to Southampton permanent. However, this would mean that Atlético Madrid would have their own clause to remove it for a fee of £1.5 million, giving them licence to sell Alderweireld to any club, including Tottenham Hotspur. It is little options like this that have got the rumour mills moving, and now other football betting sites are also offering odds of 5/1 that Alderweireld will indeed make the move to White Hart Lane.
One theory for the move is that Alderweireld is keen on teaming up with his former Ajax team mate, current Belgium national team colleague and current Spurs star Jan Verthonghen. At present, Atlético Madrid have valued Alderweireld at approximately 10 million euros if they do make the decision to sell the star.
However, this will come as unwelcome news to Southampton, who are keen on holding onto Alderweireld. The Saints’ head coach Ronald Koeman has reportedly already been discussing a permanent deal for Alderweireld, but with Tottenham Hotspur currently one position ahead of Southampton in the Premier League table, Alderweireld could find himself tempted.
Whatever happens however, nothing will take place formally until the end of the season, with the transfer window set to open this year on 9th June. What could be Atlético Madrid’s loss could indeed be Tottenham Hotspurs’ gain, but will Alderweireld miss the warmer weather in La Liga? Watch this space.
Written by Ketan Patel
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