Us and Arse in talks with Jan Vertonghen

[bomberH]

The Premier League side opened talks with Ajax about a summer move earlier in May, but Spurs face stiff competition in the race for Vertonghen's signature.

"I have to make a choice. There's something going on with Tottenham, but there are more clubs interested in signing me," Vertonghen said to NUsport.

"The most important thing for me is that I get regular playing time. Plus I need a stable environment.

"More and more clubs in England seem to realise that you can go a long way with 'good football'. Arsenal started with it, and teams like Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester City are playing good football as well now."

Vertonghen has a contract with Ajax until June 2013, but is widely expected to leave the Eredivisie champions this summer.

------------------------

Misguided re the 'playing good football' quote but that's modern day European footballers for you. If only he knew about the Pre Wenger years.

Arsenal started it! Pfft.

 

[Lo Amo Speroni]

The Premier League side opened talks with Ajax about a summer move earlier in May, but Spurs face stiff competition in the race for Vertonghen's signature.

"I have to make a choice. There's something going on with Tottenham, but there are more clubs interested in signing me," Vertonghen said to NUsport.

"The most important thing for me is that I get regular playing time. Plus I need a stable environment.

"More and more clubs in England seem to realise that you can go a long way with 'good football'. Arsenal started with it, and teams like Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester City are playing good football as well now."

Vertonghen has a contract with Ajax until June 2013, but is widely expected to leave the Eredivisie champions this summer.

------------------------

Misguided re the 'playing good football' quote but that's modern day European footballers for you. If only he knew about the Pre Wenger years.

Arsenal started it! Pfft.

Now young man, are you trying to put pressure on Mr Levy?

Listen sonny, if you want to play for us, that's good. If you are fishing for more dosh then go relieve yourself, you aint that good!

 

[Misfit]

The Premier League side opened talks with Ajax about a summer move earlier in May, but Spurs face stiff competition in the race for Vertonghen's signature.

"I have to make a choice. There's something going on with Tottenham, but there are more clubs interested in signing me," Vertonghen said to NUsport.

"The most important thing for me is that I get regular playing time. Plus I need a stable environment.

"More and more clubs in England seem to realise that you can go a long way with 'good football'. Arsenal started with it, and teams like Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester City are playing good football as well now."

Vertonghen has a contract with Ajax until June 2013, but is widely expected to leave the Eredivisie champions this summer.

------------------------

Misguided re the 'playing good football' quote but that's modern day European footballers for you. If only he knew about the Pre Wenger years.

Arsenal started it! Pfft.

I do beg your pardon. I think you'll find we did, mush! Back in the late 40's under Arthur Rowe.

 

[deselina]

Vertonghen will be awarded the Dutch footballer of the year award according to de Telegraaf and Eredivisie Live. Clasie and Eriksen are 2 and 3 by some distance.

 

[tototoner]

Vertonghen will be awarded the Dutch footballer of the year award according to de Telegraaf and Eredivisie Live. Clasie and Eriksen are 2 and 3 by some distance.

Jordy Clasie has been superb for Feyenoord this season

 

[DJS]

I don't think you read my post properly. If he's gonna play then by all means bring him back. But if he's only gonna play a small role and only get a small number of games then it will stunt his development - that was my point. Harry needs to consider this at the end of the season and work out how often roughly Caulker will play and then make the appropriate decision. Bringing him back but making him 4th or 5th choice with minimal game time won't help him or us much. Harry isn't one of footys great rotaters after all...



He isn't better than Kaboul, no chance. He probably will be though within a few years IF he gets games. If we sign Vertoghnen and Kaboul, Dawson and King/Gallas have pretty injury free seasons is he gonna get games? Harry needs to work this out before making a decision.

 

[Hitch]

The Premier League side opened talks with Ajax about a summer move earlier in May, but Spurs face stiff competition in the race for Vertonghen's signature.

"I have to make a choice. There's something going on with Tottenham, but there are more clubs interested in signing me," Vertonghen said to NUsport.

"The most important thing for me is that I get regular playing time. Plus I need a stable environment.

"More and more clubs in England seem to realise that you can go a long way with 'good football'. Arsenal started with it, and teams like Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester City are playing good football as well now."

Vertonghen has a contract with Ajax until June 2013, but is widely expected to leave the Eredivisie champions this summer.

------------------------

Misguided re the 'playing good football' quote but that's modern day European footballers for you. If only he knew about the Pre Wenger years.

Arsenal started it! Pfft.

That quote does rather annoy me I must say. As if no English club played good football before the fantastical Arsenal showed us all the way

Somebody needs to hand Mr Vertonghen a decent book or DVD on the history of THFC.

 

[SugarRay]

Maybe he is one of the millions that seem to think football was invented in 1992?

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Ok, it may have been a little much to suggest Caulker is better than Kaboul. But I do think he is ready for us, he's quick, strong, can tackle, can head and has proved himself at every level including premiership. I'd rather have him stepping in than king, gallas and Nelsen and in many cases Dawson since he is so much more athletic. I don't see why we should send such a good quality, premiership ready prospect anywhere else when he would probably get plenty of games here.

I'm all for adding vethongen if we are still able to sign players in higher priority positions.

 

[Riandor]

That quote does rather annoy me I must say. As if no English club played good football before the fantastical Arsenal showed us all the way

Somebody needs to hand Mr Vertonghen a decent book or DVD on the history of THFC.

Agree, but like Barcelona now, teams are as good as their last 5 - 10 seasons at most. Players coming through now will remember Arsenal's teams of the early turn of the century and to be fair, sigh... they were good.

Hardly fair for foreign players to know about the history, it's bad enough with players and fans over here!

R.

 

[dellybelly]

But his compatriot Hazard is joining us in the summer.

I suspect Hazard will be going to one of the Manchester clubs.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Agree, but like Barcelona now, teams are as good as their last 5 - 1o seasons at most. Players coming through now will remember Arsenal's teams of the early turn of the century and to be fair, sigh... they were good.

Hardly fair for foreign players to know about the history, it's bad enough with players and fans over here!

R.

Unfortunately have to agree with this. It's not really a surprise that foreign players know the Arsenal style of play as being attractive and attacking as that is how they have been for the best part of 15 years.

We are starting to re-establish ourselves as a top quality side that plays attractive football, but we have a way to go to really cement ourselves as a top club to overseas players. For that we need to combine the style with results, which to be fair is what the Arsenal that Vethongen is referring to did.

 

[whitelightwhiteheat]

The good thing for us is for the past 5-6 years we've actually challenged regularly for Champions League places. So any foreign players watching our league would have seen that.

I guess the problem also is that they would have seen a lot of our best players leaving as well. That doesn't look so clever. But we're getting there, that's the main thing.

This summer we simply have to show that we mean business, otherwise the break up of this team is imminent, and then what?

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

The good thing for us is for the past 5-6 years we've actually challenged regularly for Champions League places. So any foreign players watching our league would have seen that.

I guess the problem also is that they would have seen a lot of our best players leaving as well. That doesn't look so clever. But we're getting there, that's the main thing.

This summer we simply have to show that we mean business, otherwise the break up of this team is imminent, and then what?

If some of our bigger profile players leave we rebuild. We have enough talented younger players to create a nucleus of another good side with a few smart additions and some good coaching.

 

[Misfit]

Not meaning to be a Debbie Downer here - but if we get 4th and by some minor miracle the chav ****s don't win the CL, will Jan or Hazard sign for us without knowing if we've quaified for the CL proper? If they won't, will they wait until August to sign for us?

This is in hypothetical land where we manage to stumble backwards like a drunk who has been tasered into a top 4 spot to begin with of course.

 

[whitelightwhiteheat]

If some of our bigger profile players leave we rebuild. We have enough talented younger players to create a nucleus of another good side with a few smart additions and some good coaching.

So we'll be replacing our coaching staff and manager as well then?!

 

[tototoner]

Looks like the word Rafa has had has helped

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...rtonghen-tottenham-are-my-absolute-favourite?

"Tottenham are absolutely my favourite," the defender told De Telegraaf. "[But] the Ajax board are asking for a very big amount for a player whose contract is running out in year.

"I trust that both Tottenham and Ajax will put some water in the wine and they will soon reach an agreement."

"Tottenham is a fantastic football club that has the tradition I want," he explained.

"Ajax was the perfect club for me, but Spurs is already very close nearby. They buy young, eager, offensive-minded players."

 

[Rogmeister]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7739167/

 

[tototoner]

Ajax manager Frank De Boer has come out and said that Barcelona should sign Vertonghen, I can see Levy playing hardball with this and missing out

Ajax boss Frank De Boer has now opened up another option for Vertonghen by saying that Barcelona should be interested in signing the defender. Barca are looking for a centre back and Thiago Silva is thought to be first choice with David Luiz, presumably thanks to the efforts of his agent, being linked too.

Both of those would be expensive purchases for the Catalan side and Vertonghen could be a viable alternative, De Boer is quoted by Sport.es as saying about his player "If I were the coach of Barcelona, I would sign Vertonghen.

"He is one of the best centres in Europe. He is very attacking and strong he could fit perfectly because he has great quality and playing style and the philosophy of the club."

Given Vertonghen's comments about Ajax and Tottenham struggling to agree a deal, it could be a ploy from De Boer to make the London side hurry up. The Belgian defender has said he has no wish to go and sit on a substitutes bench anywhere and there'd be the danger of that at Barcelona.

 

[kaz Hirai]

wonder how far apart we are in agreeing a price. feels like Leandro all over again, we dont know the facts really, Ajax could be asking for crazy sums i suppose, and defense isnt really a primary concern with Dawson and Caulker being back