5 players who the Premier League's big clubs should move on in the summer | Premier League 2019-20

#2 Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen has struggled this season

Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen is out of contract in the summer and thus he’ll be able to move to a new club on a free transfer should he choose to do so, but current reports suggest that Jose Mourinho is still open to keeping the Belgian veteran in North London. But despite his long tenure at the club and popularity with the fans, to hand him a new deal now would likely be an error in judgment.

Vertonghen has been largely fantastic for Spurs since signing for them in the summer of 2012; he’s averaged over 30 Premier League appearances in each of his 7 full seasons, has scored some important goals for the club, and was even named in the Champions League’s Squad of the Season during the 2018-19 campaign.

However, recently he’s looked like a shadow of his former self. The Belgian wasn’t used by Mauricio Pochettino in Spurs’ early games this season and when he has been deployed since, his pace appears to have gone entirely and it was this issue that partially led to Tottenham’s embarrassing 2-7 loss to Bayern Munich in October.

With Tottenham able to call upon Vertonghen’s international teammate Toby Alderweireld – who has signed a new deal – as well as younger defenders like Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga and Juan Foyth, it may be better for all parties if the Belgian simply moves on at the end of the season – likely being remembered as cult hero by Spurs fans.