Toby Alderweireld is still a Tottenham Hotspur player.
Rumours have been around for months, and yet rather than things heating up it’s become one of the stalest potential transfers around.
Manchester United or someone else could change that in a flash, and a lot is likely to happen between now and the close of the window in a couple of weeks.
Wednesday’s edition of HLN brings a new tangent to the situation and suggests things could get messy.
In an article titled ‘Toby Alderweireld – possible through legal backdoor’ it’s claimed the defender may have a ‘weapon’ to solve his situation at Spurs.
HLN report some in the legal profession ‘doubt the legality of a unilateral option in his contract’ and that this could be reason for Tottenham to sell the player now.
A British sports lawyer is quoted as saying clubs extending contracts without the player also having the option creates “shaky legal grounds”. The Belgian newspaper then claims it’s something players and their agents can challenge, and there’s ‘loopholes’ because there’s no added benefit to Alderweireld.
The same article reiterates the player was offered a contract extension but declined it at the end of last year.
Manchester United and other clubs have used such clauses repeatedly, and had no issue. There’s been no big UK legal challenge or suggestion of such.
Alderweireld has been offered a pay increase and declined it. If his contract is extended he can leave for €28m, according to the newspaper, and that in itself is a benefit given it’s below market value.
It feels quite unlikely that a legal battle is going to materialise here, and it’s probably even more unlikely Tottenham would be intimidated by the threat of such a situation.
