Toby Alderweireld is set to become the first high-profile departure from Tottenham this summer after a new report claimed that Spurs have reached an agreement with Al-Duhail of Qatar.
The Belgian was retained by the Lilywhites last summer when they allowed Jan Vertonghen to leave instead.
He remained a key member of their squad under Jose Mourinho, but it seems he won’t be a part of it under Nuno Espirito Santo and they have now accepted an offer from the middle-eastern club.
The Telegraph says Spurs have given the defender the green light to discuss personal terms with the Qatari side.
He has been at Tottenham since 2015 and this news means his six-year stay at the club is about to come to an end.
Spurs have already targeted new defenders in this transfer window and they are closing in on the likes of Cristian Romero and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Both defenders will come from Serie A where Fabio Paratici made a name for himself as a director at Juventus.
The report says Tottenham values Alderweireld at £13m and Al Duhail made a bid that is close to that figure which got a positive response from Spurs.
Taking his £100,000-a-week wage off their wage bill will also be a help to Tottenham as they look to rebuild their squad.
We need 2 good centerbacks. The problem is managers get enormed playing with 3 at the back where you must have a stud at left center back unless you have Van Dyke who is just plain good, it becomes a drain on the midfield. 4 2 3 1 for me is the strongest formation playing in a diamond shape at the back, with the 2 mids able to plug the holes as the winbacks go forward on overlaps. Also, it is good to have a ball playing centerback ala Mascherano who can step in the midfield as the defense transition to cover for a mid that vacated the middle.
Indeed Toby’s true hero & legend
yes Toby was a hero will be missed
Him and Jan were a class act. I bet he won’t miss Eric though.
True but he was earning less than Dier and Sissoko.
He leaves and Dier remains is a nightmare senario.
Not people with a comparable skillset. In a true comparison he has been underpaid
You’re so right, the poor little lad only earns 200x what most people earn in a year
Good luck Toby! He was a quality defender, for a few seasons part of the best defence in the league and certainly deserved to win silverware. Probably would have done so elsewhere as he was certainly good enough to play for the clubs that do win trophies.
Toby wasn’t on big money for those first four years. So this is a chance of one last big pay day. Good luck to him.
Wish him all the luck in the world. Toby was one of the few players that gave his all for Spurs.