Tottenham Trigger Option To Extend Alderweireld

By Joshua Walters

Tottenham Hotspurs have taken up the option to extend the contract of Toby Alderweireld for one more season as the player reneges on signing a long-term contract extension with the club.

The Belgian defender has established himself as first-choice at the back for the Lilly Whites who currently sit 3rd on the Premier League table.

With the player’s previous contract set to expire at the end of the 2018/19 season, leaving his name on the wish list of several clubs both in England and abroad especially as he has refused to sign a long-term deal.

Alderweireld’s refusal to sign a long-term contract meant that Tottenham would have earned nothing if he left for another club.

Although the London-based club has averted that with the extension of the player’s contract until 2020, the player has the sole control of his future as the Bossman Rule gives him the power to sign for any club of his choice as his deal with the parent club is less than two years.

Alderweireld joined Tottenham from Southampton in 2015 for a fee of £11.5 million on a five-year contract after he has been loaned to the Saints from Atletico Madrid with the option to buy from Atletico Madrid.

He has played 19 league games for Tottenham this season and five in the Champions League where he helped the team to qualify into the knockout stage of the competition.