EPL: Jan Vertonghen eyes Tottenham Hotspur future beyond 2020

Tottenham Hotspur is set to take up an option to keep Jan Vertonghen until 2020 and he is open to staying even longer.

Jan Vertonghen..."I've got a year and a half left and then we'll see."

Jan Vertonghen hopes he has not signed his last contract at Tottenham as he plots a future with the club beyond 2020.

Vertonghen's contract expires at the end of this season but Spurs is set to take up an option to extend it by a further year. The Belgium defender has been a mainstay at Spurs since joining from Ajax in 2012, though at 31 he is approaching the latter stages of his career and has yet to win a trophy with Tottenham.

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However, with Tottenham eventually set to move to its new stadium, sitting just six points behind Premier League leader Liverpool and through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, Vertonghen is eager to remain a part of its project under Mauricio Pochettino.

'I feel great at Tottenham'

"I've got a contract until 2020 — there's an option and Tottenham will take that option," he told The Evening Standard . "So I've got a year and a half left and then we'll see. The way I feel now, I've got at least four to five good years left in the tank. There are no talks [with the club], but that's something to discuss. At the moment I feel great at Tottenham. It's a club with unbelievable potential — not just the players but everything around it. Everyone wants to be part of it."

Vertonghen admits "I can see how demanding [the managerial role] is — I see our manager (Mauricio Pochettino, in picture)." Photo: Getty Images

 

Asked if he could return to Ajax, also through to the last 16 of the Champions League, to see out his career, Vertonghen replied: "You never know, but I've got a great passion for Ajax. I'd probably live in Amsterdam [when I retire]. I can see myself in Belgium a day or two a week with family — it's only an hour and half drive. My missus is from there. I love the open environment, people being open-minded. I lived there for nine years, it's a nice city. It has a good quality of life and diversity.”

'Demanding' role

But at present he does not see himself taking on a managerial role after he hangs up his boots. "At the moment, no. I can see how demanding it is — I see our manager. To come straight out of football, it's good to get your head off football for a bit," he added.

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"That's how I think now anyway. For the moment I just think about playing football and not about managing. I want to start with something, and that's probably not going to be my coaching badges. I hope I find something demanding, something I can put my soul and passion into."