Mauricio Pochettino Speaks on Toby Alderweireld's Future, Transfer 'Drama'

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about defender Toby Alderweireld's future at the club and played down speculation he could leave in the summer.

Per Tom Collomosse at the Evening Standard, he said:

"We make a drama sometimes for small things. After 14 games unbeaten, I'm not going to talk about the player who doesn't play.

"He was injured for a long time, but he is still our player and has two years left on his contract. I am sure he will play before the end of the season. He's doing well, he's training. He just needs to wait for his chance, but today there is no point in talking about this situation."

Alderweireld has not featured for Spurs since the 2-2 FA Cup fifth-round draw against Rochdale, when he played the entire 90 minutes. He has not appeared in the Premier League since the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in October 2017.

While the Belgian has made 17 appearances for Spurs, he has struggled to regain his place in the team since recovering from a hamstring problem.

Alderweireld is also yet to agree on a new deal, but Pochettino has said he is not being left out because of his contract status, according to sports journalist Peter O'Rourke:

Paris-Saint Germain, Manchester United and Barcelona are all interested in signing the centre-back, according to Matt Law of the Telegraph.

Journalist Kristof Terreur offered some neat analysis of the situation:

The 29-year-old is an excellent defender who has helped improve the Tottenham back line since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2015.

However, his future does look in serious doubt, as he cannot seem to force his way back into the team. The ongoing refusal to sign a new contract also appears to have added an edge to the situation, and it's hard to see him staying.

Football writer Andrew Gaffney has sympathy for Pochettino's decision to leave Alderweireld out:

Despite his quality, Tottenham have hardly missed the Belgian due to the excellent form of Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen. Only the top two of Manchester City and Manchester United have conceded fewer Premier League goals than Spurs this season.

Darren Lewis at the Mirror feels he deserves a chance in the team:

Despite Pochettino's words, there is little doubt that Alderweireld can be happy with his situation at Spurs and his lack of game time. The Belgian is a quality defender, and there will surely be plenty of top clubs willing to offer him regular minutes come the summer.