Jan Vertonghen Says He's Not Discussing New Spurs Contract Right Now

Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen has said he is not currently discussing a new contract with the club, despite having just a single year left on his deal. 

Per Goal's James Westwood, he was asked whether talks are ongoing, and said:

"No. I just want to focus on football now.

"When you don't play, you realise how important it is and it's extremely important for me. I've been so long with the guys, I love the club and I just want to play as much as I can.

"I feel great and I just want to help the club to win trophies."

Vertonghen played his first minutes of the season in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal following an absence that puzzled blogger Ricky Sacks:

In the interview, the 32-year-old made it clear he was fit to play, and the decision to bench him was a tactical one from manager Mauricio Pochettino: "No, no, no—I came back fit. I played in every pre-season game and I didn't miss a [training] session."

Spurs have won just one of their four Premier League outings so far, against Aston Villa. They lost at home to Newcastle United in an upset but also held both Arsenal and Manchester City to draws on the road.

They have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, and the defence has been a major issue. It's been a steep decline, per sports writer Andrew Gaffney:

Their struggles made Vertonghen's absence even more puzzling, and it led to some transfer buzz, per Kicker (h/t sports writer Ronan Murphy):

The Belgian has played for Spurs since 2012 when he moved to the British capital from Ajax. He's been one of their most consistent players for years, providing a steady presence at the back and pairing well with compatriot Toby Alderweireld.

His future has been a question mark for some time already, however, as he told reporters he was unsure about his contract situation before the start of the campaign.

Marc Atkins/Getty Images

As a veteran, experienced defender on an expiring contract, he could be a prime transfer target in January. Foreign clubs would be able to sign him to a pre-contract, or spend a nominal fee to land him early.

Alderweireld's contract will also expire next summer, so Spurs have work to do if they want to keep the duo around.