Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Graham Roberts believes that Daniel Levy made a huge mistake in allowing Jan Vertonghen to leave the club last summer.
Vertonghen made 315 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions, ending an eight-year spell in North London when his contract came to an end (transfermarkt).
The Belgian international struggled for a consistent place in the starting eleven in the Premier League under Jose Mourinho last season (transfermarkt).
The 34-year-old has been a rock at the heart of the defence for Benfica this season and has kept his place in the Belgian squad.
Vertonghen admitted in December that he felt the effects of a concussion he sustained playing for Spurs for the following nine months (Sporza).
He collided with team-mate Toby Alderweireld and Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana during the Champions League semi-final first leg in April 2019.
Vertonghen believed that the injury had contributed to his dip in form during his last season at Tottenham with Roberts of the opinion that the defender is still capable of playing at the highest level and has the energy in his legs to do so.
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Roberts told FootballFanCast: “But I think the biggest factor for us was we lost Jan Vertonghen in the summer and I don’t think Jan’s legs had gone.
“I think in a back three he would have been absolutely perfect. Him, Toby, and you could have played Sanchez or Rodon in between them to cover.
“They would have the legs. But we didn’t, we let him go, and he’s now playing for Benfica and he’s playing for the national team every international game. That was our loss I think.”
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