Jan Vertonghen reveals next club already 'in his head' after Tottenham exit

Pastures new: Jan Vertonghen
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
Matt Davies28 July 2020

Jan Vertonghen admitted his future will be decided "sooner rather than later", with his next club already "in his mind" having left Tottenham following an eight-year stay.

The 33-year-old will go down as one of Tottenham's greatest-ever defenders, helping the club rise towards the European elite during his 315 appearances after arriving in 2012.

Vertonghen was initially due to be out of contract in June, but prolonged his stay until the end of the delayed season, with his exit confirmed soon after Tottenham's final-day draw against Crystal Palace.

Though scoring a decisive 90th-minute winner against Wolves back in December, the writing was perhaps on the wall in February, when Vertonghen was clearly devastated after being substituted early in the second half of Tottenham's 3-2 FA Cup win against Southampton.

The defender's game-time was significantly limited since, with manager Jose Mourinho favouring Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez.

Regardless, there will no doubt be a plethora of clubs chasing his experienced signature, and Vertonghen has admitted he already has a destination in mind.

“That will be out probably sooner rather than later,” Vertonghen told talkSPORT. “I’m considering the options and making a good choice.

“Obviously the window now is longer than it was last year, so we’ve got a bit of time to assess the best option.”

The Belgian has been linked with a move to Serie A and Antonio Conte's Inter Milan, though he has not ruled out a Premier League stay.

Asked if he intends to stay in England's top tier, Vertonghen replied: “It will all depend on the options. I’ve got something in my head and we’ll see if that will come around or not.”

While Vertonghen clearly has a further journey to look forward to, he also reflected on his eight years at Tottenham.

The centre-back was an immensely popular figure in the dressing room, with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Heung-min Son and Hugo Lloris talking of their admiration in a farewell video released by Tottenham.

“I will miss them,” he added. “I had a great time at Spurs and made lots of friends, and learned lots of things – perhaps even more off the pitch than on the pitch from my family at Spurs, and I will miss everyone.

“It’s been a great ride and could have maybe lasted longer, but it’s time for it to end.” (edited)

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