After a protracted chase, Spurs finally got their man in Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld.
Toby joined Ajax in their
juniors in 2008 after beginning his career with Germinal
Beerschot in his home country. Turned professional in
2007, making his debut in 2011, but became an
established regular under the management of Martin Jol.
Alderweireld had interested Spurs when he was at the
Dutch club, but he moved to Atletico Madrid in 2013 and
played 12 times in the team that won La Liga. He also
appeared in the Champions League final, which Atletico
lost 1-4 to city rivals Real Madrid.
Went on loan to Southampton for the 2014-15 season and
stood out at St. Mary's. Looked set to stay with the
Saints in the summer of 2015 after his loan had ended,
but when Spurs made their approach, Alderweireld was
keen to join his national and former Ajax team-mate Jan
Vertonghen in the heart of the Tottenham defence. This
did prompt Southampton to threaten legal action against
Atletico, as they believed that they had first option on
the defender for GBP 6.5 million, but his parent club
had set a deadline, which had expired, so the South
Coast club settled for a percentage of the GBP 11.5
million fee Spurs paid instead.
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