Toby Alderweireld has shared his verdict on whether his Tottenham defensive partnership with Jan Vertonghen was better than Arsenal’s highly rated duo of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Many football teams pride themselves on being defensively solid while remaining effective in attack. After all, there is a well-known saying in the game that defence wins titles, while attack wins matches.
That was certainly the case with Tottenham Hotspur during the Mauricio Pochettino era, when they challenged for the title, reached a Champions League final and consistently competed for top-four finishes.
At the heart of that side was a strong defensive base with Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in central defence, while Harry Kane and Heung-min Son led the attack.
However, while that team was capable of competing with the best, it ultimately fell short of winning silverware.
Toby Alderweireld compares Tottenham and Arsenal partnerships
This season, while Tottenham languished near the bottom of the table and finished in 17th place, their bitter rivals secured the Premier League title for the first time in over two decades.
It was a title built on defensive solidity, favourable VAR decisions and a functional rather than spectacular attacking output.
Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba were central to Arsenal’s defensive success, which has inevitably led to comparisons with the Tottenham partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
Speaking to BoyleSports’ 2 Goals Ahead, Alderweireld addressed those comparisons and explained why he believes the statistics support the argument that Tottenham’s pairing was the stronger of the two.
Alderweireld told BoyleSports’ 2 Goals Ahead: “Jan Vertonghen and I conceded fewer goals in the Premier League than Gabriel and William Saliba this season, and that’s a fact. But of course, the only thing is that they won the Premier League, and we didn’t. So I have to give them that.
“Of course, we reached the final of the Champions League as well. Honestly, those seasons, Jan and I, are one of the best centre-back partnerships ever. It’s not only us, but we also had Kyle Walker, Danny Rose and Victor Wanyama in front of us.
“I know I’m a very down-to-earth guy, but I’m saying this because we conceded 20 and a little bit in the season in the Premier League. That’s unbelievable. I rate us very highly.”
Spurs could look to recreate successful formula
Toby Alderweireld is correct that he and Jan Vertonghen enjoyed stronger collective defensive seasons than Gabriel and Saliba in terms of goals conceded.
Their best campaign came in 2016-17 when Tottenham conceded just 26 Premier League goals.
| Season | Jan Vertonghen & Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur) | Gabriel Magalhaes & William Saliba (Arsenal) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | 35 | – |
| 2016–17 | 26 | – |
| 2017–18 | 36 | – |
| 2018–19 | 39 | – |
| 2021–22 | – | 48 |
| 2022–23 | – | 43 |
| 2023–24 | – | 29 |
| 2024–25 | – | 34 |
| 2025–26 | – | 27 |
| Average | 34.0 | 36.2 |
The best return for Gabriel and Saliba remains the 27 goals conceded last season. However, the argument in their favour is that their partnership helped deliver a Premier League title.
Spurs are now looking to replicate a similar same-nationality centre-back partnership as they pursue Jan Paul van Hecke to partner Micky van de Ven in what could become an all-Dutch defence.