Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur's ideal defensive lineup for the upcoming season

Right Centre-Back - Toby Alderweireld

Toby Alderweireld is one of the best defenders in the league

Toby Alderweireld has been an ever present figure in Mauricio Pochettino's team in recent years and while his future had been a cause of concern of late, it looks like the Belgian is all set to stay at Tottenham in the upcoming season. It is criminal to think that Alderweireld had a release clause of just £25m this summer, but somehow, Spurs managed to hold on to him.

The Belgian is certainly one of the best defenders in the league and is the calm and composed figure at the back that keeps the Tottenham team ticking. Alderweireld also has a stellar partnership with his countryman Vertonghen at the heart of the Spurs defense. At the back, the Belgian is the ball playing center back who likes to initiate attacks from the deep. He is the architect of Tottenham's style of play, providing the depth to Tottenham's fast and fluid style of play. Last season, he averaged around 70 passes per game with almost 89% completion rate in the league.

This season too, Alderweireld will be an important part of Pochettino's team, as Spurs attempt to finally break their Silverware jinx.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Aaditya Narayan