Jan Vertonghen signs for Benfica after leaving Tottenham for free
Jan Vertonghen made more than 300 appearances for Tottenham in his eight year spell
|Media SL Benfica
After months of speculation, Jan Vertonghen has finally penned a three year contract but for Benfica with the Belgian defender leaving Tottenham for free at the end of his contract. The 33-year-old had been linked with a move to a few Premier League sides but has opted for the Liga Nos giants.
While Toby Alderweireld signed a new contract with Tottenham, the onus was on the North London side to tie Jan Vertonghen to a new deal. The Belgian defender reportedly was keen on a deal but things changed after Jose Mourinho was appointed with Vertonghen’s game-time slowly dropping. The 33-year-old was being fazed out with Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies and Eric Dier preferred ahead of him which saw the former Ajax man opt not to sign a new deal.
The decision was reportedly mutual and Vertonghen left Spurs at the end of the extended 2019/20 season with him now signing for Benfica on a three-year contract. He becomes the club’s third signing so far after moves for Everton and Luca Waldschmidt were also completed. The 33-year-old revealed in his first interview for his new club, that he is overjoyed at having signed for such a prestigious club and believes that the ambition that Benfica shows mirrors his.
“I like stability and continuity. That's what Benfica offered me, and it was very important to my choice. I felt they believed in me a lot, that was the most important thing. I hope to correspond, playing well, and winning trophies. Ajax and Tottenham are clubs of the people, and Benfica is a club of the people,” Vertonghen told Benfica’s official website.
“It has national and European ambitions. That was important to me because I want to win national and European trophies. Benfica has the same ambition as me. I think so (when asked if the club has a good chance in the Champions League.) Looking at Benfica's current squad, we can see it's a great team. One of the goals of this emblem is to continue participating in the Champions League, and I hope we can achieve those goals."
