Ex-Player Watch Player watch: Jan Vertonghen

[Deleted member 27995]

Bench him he is fucking done. There was a reason he went to that preseason interview with Sky in a pair of slippers.

 

[SE Spurs]

Just looks soooo slow now. And the body language on the pitch isn't great either.

 

[dtxspurs]

Bench him he is fucking done. There was a reason he went to that preseason interview with Sky in a pair of slippers.

Poch knew damn well what had happened to Verts over the Summer. Don’t really understand why we didn’t go for another CB in the summer after our press for Saliba.

 

[Deleted member 27995]

Poch knew damn well what had happened to Verts over the Summer. Don’t really understand why we didn’t go for another CB in the summer after our press for Saliba.

Scouting mate, I can't remember being linked (seriously, was there anyone else?) to another central defender in that window.

I said it after the summer window finished - it's like the whole coaching staff/scouting/boardroom level went into that period with a dart board and a bunch of names and decided the first four they hit would be the ones.

Director of football has to be the way forward under Mourinho and get Levy and anyone else out of the way. Levy will have too much say when it comes to negotiating, but at least lets target the right players for the right positions.

 

[dtxspurs]

Scouting mate, I can't remember being linked (seriously, was there anyone else?) to another central defender in that window.

I said it after the summer window finished - it's like the whole coaching staff/scouting/boardroom level went into that period with a dart board and a bunch of names and decided the first four they hit would be the ones.

Director of football has to be the way forward under Mourinho and get Levy and anyone else out of the way. Levy will have too much say when it comes to negotiating, but at least lets target the right players for the right positions.

It was all for show. We bought a replacement for Eriksen, replacement for Dembele and a couple young punts. They did the bare minimum to keep Poch happy enough. No idea what the alternate options were for Dybala/Saliba. Poch clearly wanted more players. We got two new first team quality players after no one for 18 months. It wasn’t near enough.

 

[Shadydan]

It was all for show. We bought a replacement for Eriksen, replacement for Dembele and a couple young punts. They did the bare minimum to keep Poch happy enough. No idea what the alternate options were for Dybala/Saliba. Poch clearly wanted more players. We got two new first team quality players after no one for 18 months. It wasn’t near enough.

Dan KP said that Levy bought in Poch's three main targets.

 

[dtxspurs]

Dan KP said that Levy bought in Poch's three main targets.

But we clearly went for Saliba and Dybala and then had no backups? He clearly didn’t trust either RB given how much he played them the past seasons. Wanted players like Toby & Eriksen out of the team. He said he needed a major rebuild, 3 players isn’t a major rebuild.

 

[Shadydan]

But we clearly went for Saliba and Dybala and then had no backups? He clearly didn’t trust either RB given how much he played them the past seasons. Wanted players like Toby & Eriksen out of the team. He said he needed a major rebuild, 3 players isn’t a major rebuild.

Fuck knows what Poch wanted then, he turned down other players the season before as well. I'm collectively blaming the chairman and Poch for the current squad. These players have been run into the ground and should have been replaced ages ago.

 

[pelayo59]

But we clearly went for Saliba and Dybala and then had no backups? He clearly didn’t trust either RB given how much he played them the past seasons. Wanted players like Toby & Eriksen out of the team. He said he needed a major rebuild, 3 players isn’t a major rebuild.

Maybe the club was sure that Toby will leave. After that we weren't linked with any CB. For RB he wanted Foyth there

 

[Deleted member 27995]

It was all for show. We bought a replacement for Eriksen, replacement for Dembele and a couple young punts. They did the bare minimum to keep Poch happy enough. No idea what the alternate options were for Dybala/Saliba. Poch clearly wanted more players. We got two new first team quality players after no one for 18 months. It wasn’t near enough.

It may well have been for show - but the recruitment was partly the problem, these players were Pochs top targets - while Levy takes blame for not having the blank cheque book to hand, I am still, at the end of February, struggling to see what he was trying to do with the midfield. These are his players, one of them being the most expensive player Spurs have ever purchased, and I don't know what he does best.

I've told plenty of folk on here I have no qualms with laying blame at the door of ENIC/Levy - this whole situation isnt his fault alone. The windows before that - I would love to know the players Poch had on this shopping list of his Vs the players he was offered and rejected. If they are all as bad as that, then fine, it's not beyond reasonable doubt is it, but I hold concerns as well when you hear/read the names of the likes of Maddison (he always gets banded about I know, but he's been the one who has shone more than others lets say) and how badly we struggled for midfielders during that 18 month period.

It isn't just a black and white cut and dried thing is it?

More damning is the miss on a striker in the winter window just gone, it's clearly fucked us right up with the injury to Sonny. Unforgiveable.

 

[dtxspurs]

Fuck knows what Poch wanted then, he turned down other players the season before as well. I'm collectively blaming the chairman and Poch for the current squad. These players have been run into the ground and should have been replaced ages ago.

I break it down to Levy probably 75% and Poch 25%. Poch wasn’t perfect but he wasn’t at all given the same number of tools the managers he competed against were. He accepted the dross Levy brought to the table for years and finally put an end to it. We’ll never know what players he turn down other than Tielemans or what players he wanted. But it doesn’t take a genius to realize that we wanted players in Summer 19 and more in Summer 2020.

The thing that always gets me with the Summer 19 catastrophe is that people totally forget that Levy was completely incapable of selling anyone either. Was Poch supposed to be in charge of selling off the deadwood also?

 

[Shadydan]

I break it down to Levy probably 75% and Poch 25%. Poch wasn’t perfect but he wasn’t at all given the same number of tools the managers he competed against were. He accepted the dross Levy brought to the table for years and finally put an end to it. We’ll never know what players he turn down other than Tielemans or what players he wanted. But it doesn’t take a genius to realize that we wanted players in Summer 19 and more in Summer 2020.

The thing that always gets me with the Summer 19 catastrophe is that people totally forget that Levy was completely incapable of selling anyone either. Was Poch supposed to be in charge of selling off the deadwood also?

We will never really know

 

[ljinko888]

He used to be great at darting past a forward running towards him in an attempt to close him down. That allowed Jan to buy time for himself to pick a pass. He can no longer accelerate and that means now all he can do is kick it long or out of play otherwise he'll get dispossessed.

 

[double0]

The agent (and friend) of Jan Vertonghen, Tom De Mul has been speaking about Jan following many fans expressing concerns for him after his reaction to his substitution on Wednesday night.

“He’s feeling better now. His reaction had nothing to do with his future. He was just disappointed when he got subbed off. Unhappy about his performance and the team’s performance in the first hour.”

“Jan still wants to achieve great things with Spurs. He wants to qualify for the Europa or Champions League, to win the FA Cup. He is 32, but still very ambitious. He is focused. He still has so many targets. The Euros are a super important goal too.”

“It’s what I admire in Jan. He wants to play at the top level as long as possible. He is very still hungry. Vertonghen is known as a perfectionist. Somebody who is committed. An open book. He can’t hide his emotions when things are not going his way. It’s his body language - there have been similar situations before. That just him.”


“Jan is still super happy at Spurs and loves London. He is still very committed. There’s a lot of respect for Tottenham, just like there is a lot of respect from the club towards us. That’s logical after 8 seasons. There is a connection.”

“Currently there are no talks over a new deal - his contract is expiring. “We haven’t reached an agreement as yet, but we don’t rule out anything. There’s interest in him as a free agent, but Spurs is a very interesting option for us. The door’s still open”

(HLN Sport)

I much prefer Dele's reaction to being subbed than Jan feeling sorry for himself.

 

[eViL]

I keep seeing people state that Jan is so slow on the turn yet I'm SICK of watching him (and Toby) turning his back on shots.

Get yer fricken eye on the ball and your foot out!

 

[ikky]

Love the guy but he’s ready for the glue factory

 

[allatsea]

Great player but his legs have gone or appear to have gone. He was really plodding about yesterday. Tried to recover when overtaken by a player but just couldn’t. I will be amazed if we give him a new contract. He needs to play in a less demanding league now.

 

[thebenjamin]

Is it me or has Jan looked like he's got a bit of life back in his legs the last couple of games?

 

[allatsea]

Is it me or has Jan looked like he's got a bit of life back in his legs the last couple of games?

Bit more go in him but his legs I fear for this level of football are gone. I will be very surprised if he is offered new contract.

 

[JCRD]

Is it me or has Jan looked like he's got a bit of life back in his legs the last couple of games?

He played well yesterday. His crossing was ok at times although he wasted a few crosses then again he has nothing to aim for

I thought he played well