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Dec 13 2012
ars*nal Wanted To Play Me In Midfield, Reveals Tottenham Hotspur Defender

ars*nal Wanted To Play Me In Midfield, Reveals Tottenham Hotspur Defender

ars*nal made serious efforts to sign Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen during the summer, but disagreements on where he should play helped push him in the direction of White Hart Lane.

The 25-year-old opted for a move to Tottenham Hotspur during the summer and has quickly established himself as a key figure in the Spurs’ defence. Vertonghen was continually linked with a move to the Emirates before deciding to join Andre Villas-Boas’ revolution, and the Belgium international has revealed that ars*nal’s plans to utilise him as central midfielder dissuaded him from joining Arsene Wenger’s rank.

“ars*nal’s interest was concrete, but they wanted me to control the midfield, to be an Emmanuel Petit-type player.” Vertonghen told NU sport.



“I am not afraid of competition, but the overall picture at Spurs appealed to me more.”



The former Ajax captain as predominately played as a central defender most of his career, but has on occasion played at left back. While defensively sound, Vertonghen doesn’t believe his mobile enough operate as a full back on a full time basis, much preferring his central role.



“I think of myself as a backup [at left back]. Especially against agile men like Raheem Sterling and Nani, it is not my game. I am not agile enough.”
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Read more: http://www.spurs.vitalfootball.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=34838&posts=2#ixzz2Dk0Q8sVM