Premier League 2019/20: 4 reasons why Tottenham can make a real title charge

Tottenham made the Champions League final last season - but could they win the Premier League in 2019/20?
Tottenham made the Champions League final last season - but could they win the Premier League in 2019/20?

#2 They’ve managed to keep hold of their key defender

Keeping Toby Alderweireld has been a huge bonus for Pochettino's side
Keeping Toby Alderweireld has been a huge bonus for Pochettino's side

When Tottenham’s 2018/19 ended, boss Pochettino mentioned that it could be time for a “painful rebuild” at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. While it was clear that Spurs would be dipping their toes back into the transfer market in order to let this rebuild happen, it also became clear that some players would be exiting the club – and not just fringe ones like Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

Since then, Kieran Trippier has been sold to Atletico Madrid, Janssen has exited too, while rumours continue to fly around with regards to the futures of players like Victor Wanyama and Danny Rose. But one man who appears to be sticking around, to the shock of most fans – for another season at least – is defender Toby Alderweireld.

The highly-rated Belgian seemed all set to exit Spurs this summer due to a clause in his contract, which was extended by the club last season.

Essentially, extending Alderweireld’s contract for a year meant that a release clause of £25m also kicked in. But despite the incredibly cheap fee – particularly when you consider Aston Villa paid a similar price for Tyrone Mings – no rival club made a bid for Alderweireld before the clause expired at the end of July, meaning he looks to be staying put.

For Pochettino, that’s a huge boon. Sure, he’s got Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez, as well as cover in the form of Juan Foyth and Eric Dier, but Alderweireld has been Mr Consistency in Tottenham’s defence for the past few seasons. During the 2018/19 in particular he was fantastic, returning from a hamstring injury to show the kind of form that made him one of the highest rated defenders in the league.

Even if he leaves the club on a free transfer at the end of his contract next summer, to have Alderweireld back in the fold could be the difference between Tottenham being able to keep those all-important clean sheets to make a real push for the league title.

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Edited by Alan John