Ex Tottenham ace Jan Vertonghen spoke very highly of West Ham ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League clash with Anderlecht tonight.
The 35-year-old centre-back left Tottenham to join Benfica in the summer of 2020 on a free transfer, before linking up with Anderlecht this summer.
READ…Player who left West Ham in the summer has now scored 13 goals in 10 games
His Anderlecht team face West Ham in what is a hugely important game this evening and the one-time Tottenham man knows about us all too well.
Vertonghen faced West Ham nine times during his career with Tottenham, winning five, drawing two and losing two of those clashes (Transfermarkt).
Hopefully he suffers his third defeat against the Hammers tonight. David Moyes will be without Nayef Aguerd and Maxwel Cornet for tonight’s game.
We should still have more than enough to cause Anderlecht problems though. And Vertonghen has highlighted just how highly he regards the East London outfit…
Jan Vertonghen speaks highly of West Ham ahead of huge Europa Conference League clash
The 141-capped Belgium international will play a key role for his team tonight, what with his experience and leadership qualities.
When speaking to RTBF, Vertonghen offered West Ham a huge compliment ahead of tonight’s game:
I’ve always seen West Ham as a sleeping giant. The last two years, they finished in the top six or top seven, but now the results haven’t been as good. It’s nice to play against a big name, to meet a team of that level.
Nice words indeed from the former Tottenham man. Given the rivalry between the Hammers and Spurs, we were quite surprised to read the Belgian’s comments.
Let’s hope that West Ham live up to the billing given to us by Vertonghen against Anderlecht tonight.
David Moyes’s side showed slight signs of improvement against Wolves last weekend, although it was far from a commanding performance.
And it will be vital for the West Ham players to raise their levels once again tonight, if they are to send out a message of intent to our Europa Conference League rivals.