Tottenham fans' favourite confirms why he turned down Arsenal transfer hunt
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has revealed that a “gut feeling” resulted in him turning down fierce rivals Arsenal and sign for Spurs back in 2012.
The Belgian enforcer, who has become a firm fans’ favourite with the Lilywhites with his commanding performances in the heart of defence, left Dutch giants Ajax to arrive at White Hart Lane nearly six years ago, but revealed that he could have been moving to the other side of north London after the Gunners also made a move for his signing.
While Vertonghen himself did not travel to the Emirates Stadium for talks, he has confirmed that his agent was in discussions over a potential transfer, and that in the end it came down to the defender’s own choice, putting his eventual decision down to his initial feelings.
He told the Mirror: “It was as close as it can get.
“My agent went to Arsenal, I wasn’t there myself but it was very respectful and in the end I had to make a choice and I chose Spurs.
“I felt I was joining a great team, with great plans and the personal chats I had with people at Spurs were great and I followed my instinct, my gut feeling and that’s it.
“The last three (seasons) – including this one – we’ve done very well, we’re building a great team with the manager and the new stadium is coming up.”
Since arriving at Spurs Vertonghen has gone on to establish himself as a crucial member of the squad, with the 30-year-old having made 237 appearances across all competitions and is the third choice captain behind Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane.
This season has seen him turn out 33 times already in both the league and the cups, appearing in every minute of all but one of the club’s Premier League matches.
In other Tottenham news, the club’s star man is set to be used as a pawn in a transfer game played by European giants.