‘It’s a shock’ – Pundit admits he did not expect recent Spurs star contract update

Former Coventry City striker, Noel Whelan has admitted that he did not foresee Tottenham offering Serge Aurier a new contract even just a few months ago.

Matt Doherty was expected to be Tottenham’s first-choice right-back after he was signed from Wolves in the summer.

However, Doherty’s arrival seems to have pushed the best out of Aurier and it looked like the Ivorian had removed the lapses in concentration he previously suffered from.

After putting in solid performances against the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, the defender’s old habits reared their ugly head once again during Tottenham’s 2-0 loss to Leicester City.

Aurier made a rash challenge towards the end of the first half that handed the away side a penalty, which was duly put away by Jamie Vardy.

Jose Mourinho admitted after the game that Aurier had made a mistake but refused to put all the blame for Spurs’ loss on the former Paris Saint-Germain defender (Football.London).

Previous reports indicated that Tottenham were in talks with Aurier over a new deal and, speaking before Sunday’s match, Whelan insisted that the right-back was deserving of a contract.

The pundit told Football Insider: “When Doherty came in everyone thought that was it for Aurier.

“He had always been an accident waiting to happen, too reckless and giving away free-kicks and penalties.

“But Jose Mourinho is getting the best out of him and we’re now seeing performances we never thought him capable of.

“He looks switched on and is doing his job really well. Just a few months ago, you would never have seen Aurier getting a new contract. From that point of view, it’s a shock re-signing.

“But it also makes sense if Mourinho can get the best out of him, and that’s what we’re seeing.”

Spurs Web Opinion

It was disappointing to see Aurier proving some of his critics right by making a poor decision against Leicester. However, one mistake should not detract from the improvement he has shown and the brilliant displays he has put in so far this season.

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