Back in 2012, Jan Vertonghen was something of a hot property. Several Premier League clubs were after the Belgian, who was highly rated across Europe, to say the least.
Tottenham ended up winning the race for the central defender, beating off a host of competitors to make the 25-year-old their second signing that summer.
He has proved to be as big a hit as White Hart Lane as expected, becoming a key player for Spurs over the eight years since, making over three hundred appearances for the club in that time.
Over the years there has been plenty of interest in him still, with many believing he could, and maybe should, have joined a bigger side at some point.
That never happened, of course, with him instead electing to stay and proving to be a vital cog in the success that Spurs have enjoyed in recent years.
Former Dutch international André Ooijer certainly believes he could have went higher, claiming his former Ajax teammate would have been perfect for Spanish giants Barcelona.
“In my view, Jan should have gone higher,” he told Algemeen Dagblad.
“I don’t think he would have been out of place at FC Barcelona. If he got mad, you really wouldn’t get past him.
“He was very strong, but also good on the ball. When we played together at Ajax, I really thought he was unparalleled.”
