5 Tottenham Hotspur players who remain underrated by fans
Currently, in the 4th position in the Premier League and also into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, it’s hard to deny that despite not winning any trophies yet, Tottenham Hotspur have developed into one of England’s most formidable sides over the past few years.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino now has a deep, talented squad at his disposal and while everyone knows and sings the praises of the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele, many of Tottenham’s players remain somewhat underrated by the majority of observers and analysts.
Without these players though, who knows where Spurs would actually be? Here are 5 Tottenham players who remain criminally underrated.
#1 Jan Vertonghen
Under Pochettino, Tottenham have become renowned for boasting one of the toughest defences in the Premier League. 2015/16 and 2016/17 both saw them concede the least goals of any side in league action, and thus far this season only the Manchester sides have let in fewer.
The tightness of Tottenham’s defence has usually been credited to two things – the arrival of Pochettino as manager, and the presence of Toby Alderweireld – one of the most highly rated defenders in world football. But in reality, during this season at least, it’s been Alderweireld’s fellow Belgian international Jan Vertonghen who’s kept things solid at the back – and usually, he’s done it to little plaudits.
Alderweireld has missed swathes of Tottenham’s season with a hamstring injury he suffered in November, and yet Spurs’ defence has not crumbled like some suspected it might. Paired instead with the talented but inexperienced Davinson Sanchez, Vertonghen has stepped up in a way that few fans expected him to.
He’s made 29 appearances in the Premier League this season and has looked stronger than ever, improving his game both in the air and in terms of his passing success rate – and perhaps most impressively, of all the games he’s been involved in this season – in all competitions – he’s only failed to complete the full 90 minutes once.
There’s an argument that – Harry Kane aside – Vertonghen has been Tottenham’s most important player in 2017/18, and yet he continues to largely fly under the radar with many observers.