Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton has welcomed the news that Japhet Tanganga is said to be in advanced talks with the club over a new contract.
Football Insider reported on Monday that the academy product, who is out of contract next summer snubbed the club’s initial offer but progress has been made in subsequent discussions.
Hutton, who joined Spurs from Glasgow Rangers in 2008 for £10million (Guardian) went on to make 66 appearances in all competitions for the North London club before joining Aston Villa in 2011 (transfermarkt).
The 35-year-old admitted that he has been left impressed by the way Tanganga has adapted to life in Jose Mourinho’s first team.
After proving that he can cut it at the top level, Hutton believes that there would be plenty of potential suitors circling if he were not to put pen to paper on a fresh deal.
Tanganga, 20, has shown composure well beyond his age after comfortably operating in all positions across the back four.
He told Football Insider: “Moving forward, he’s so young, I totally agree with why Tottenham are trying to tie him down to a new deal.
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“There will be lots of clubs sniffing about, foreign and local. It’s a great decision to tie him down.
“Let’s face it, he came out of nowhere, I don’t think a lot of people knew about him. It was the Liverpool game, he got thrown in at the deep end and wow, did he handle it – I thought he was magnificent that game.
“Obviously it’s about keeping your standards high. Everybody now thinks what a player, that’s the standards.”
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