ESPN FC has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur star Jan Vertonghen chose Spurs over their North London rivals Arsenal in 2012 due to the fact Arsene Wenger wanted to play him as a midfielder.
Vertonghen arrived at Tottenham from Ajax in 2012 and the 30-year-old has since established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, recently forming a formidable defensive partnership with Belgium compatriot Toby Alderweireld which has helped the club mount back to back title challenges in the last few seasons.
Much of Tottenham’s rise to prominence has been attributed to their solid defence and this fact will definitely frustrate Arsenal supporters, who allegedly had the opportunity to land the defender – according to reports from ESPN.
ESPN have revealed that Arsenal had a bid for the defender accepted but the Gunners could not convince the player to join them. The big Belgian was apparently turned off from a move to Tottenham due to manager Arsene Wenger’s proposal to play him midfield and instead he joined Tottenham to play in his preferred central defensive position.
With the benefit of hindsight, Wenger will definitely be ruing the opportunity to sign Vertonghen as he established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League while on the other hand, the Gunners have been struggling with lack of quality personnel at the back.
