Benfica defender Jan Vertonghen has revealed he realised quickly that he did not want to renew his contract at Tottenham.
Vertonghen left Tottenham in the summer after eight years with the club, having originally joined in an £11.25m deal from Ajax.
He would go on to make 315 appearances for the club, playing a key role under several managers but particularly during the club’s resurgence under Mauricio Pochettino.
For several months before his departure, it had seemed he would extend his stay in London, but he says that was never really on the cards.
“Negotiations for my contract extension started a year and a half ago,” he told VRT’s Thuimatch podcast, relayed by DHNet.be.
“But I quickly deduced that I did not want to stay in the Premier League. My wife and I wanted to go to the south: Spain, southern Italy and Sophie quickly told me about Portugal.
“Finally one, day my manager told me about a Benfica interest. I called directly, back and it gave me a good feeling.
“Benfica wanted me give a three-year contract, despite my age and my lesser season.”
After being first choice for much of his time at Tottenham, the Belgian defender found himself down the pecking order towards the end of his career at the club.
He started the season in the first team, but that changed drastically after Christmas, with him managing 90 minutes just five times in the Premier League after the turn of the year.
It was even worse in the Champions League, with him spending both of Tottenham’s last 16 games against RB Leipzig on the bench.
Speculation suggested a falling out with Jose Mourinho over his contract situation, but he insists it was actually because of an injury suffered last year.
“I didn’t play much under him (Mourinho), but I really felt he trusted me and that he was counting on me,” he added
“It was because of the big blow I received to the head in the Champions League against Ajax.
“A lot of people don’t know it, but I suffered from it for a very long time: headaches and dizziness.
“This is the first time I speak of it. I should not have continued the game, and in total, I suffered for nine months during which I could not bring what I wanted.”
