Opinion: Why I would lose any respect for Spurs pair if they sign new deals

Tottenham Hotspur have three first-team stars inching towards the ends of their careers in North London. Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen, and Jan Vertonghen are all in the final year of their contracts at Spurs.

This means that all three could leave at the end of this season, a huge blow to the club and a mark of the end of the Pochettino era. They will each also be able to talk to non-English clubs in the January window about pre-contract agreements ahead of free summer moves.

However, I get the impression that Vertonghen would sign a new deal at Spurs immediately if one was offered to him. Eriksen, I would say is determined to leave. And Alderweireld, I get the idea is also looking for a change.

The dark cloud of expiring contracts was thick above the head of Pochettino this season, heaping pressure on the Argentine to find results and a solution.

I couldn’t help but feel that he was being let down by the very players he had developed into world class stars. While the players have every right to run their contracts down, I feel as if they were no longer putting in full effort and playing for the manager towards the end. Ultimately, they let him down and they got him sacked.

So, if Alderweireld and Eriksen now change their minds due to the appointment of Jose Mourinho and sign new deals, I would be fuming.

This would show a huge lack of respect for Pochettino, meaning that it was an active decision not to sign and play under him. In turn, my respect for this duo would also vanish.

They made their choices under Poch, and they should stick to them. Sell them in January and bring in replacements.

Either way, they let Poch down. Don’t now rub it in his face after he has gone.