By Chris Wright
We suspect we haven’t heard the last of this, but Tottenham have this morning announced that Toby Alderweireld has signed a 4.5-year contract with the club after coming through a medical unscathed yesterday afternoon…
SIGNED: We are delighted to announce the signing of @AlderweireldTob from Atletico Madrid. #WelcomeToby pic.twitter.com/CTThyOs7V7
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 8, 2015
SIGNED: @AlderweireldTob has signed a contract with the Club until 2020. #WelcomeToby
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 8, 2015
As you’re probably well aware, Southampton were also angling hard for Alderweireld, who spent last season on loan at St Mary’s from Atletico Madrid.
Indeed, the Saints reckon they had a clause written into the loan deal that gave them first dibs on the Belgian defender at a fixed price of £6.8million.
Atletico also had the option to buy back that clause for £1.5million and instead flog Alderweireld to the highest bidder, though Southampton are adamant that the deadline for the Spanish side to do so elapsed weeks ago. In swoop Tottenham and suddenly everything goes to pot.
In short, this is probably going to get a bit ugly – in the litigious sense.