Jan Vertonghen announced his departure from Tottenham Hotspur after eight years at the Premier League club on Monday.
The Belgium defender, whose contract was extended in June until the end of the current season, made more than 300 appearances for Spurs after joining the club from Ajax in 2012.
Vertonghen tweeted: “So my time at the club comes to an end. A sad day for many reasons. I will miss the friends I’ve made here, the staff that make the club run, playing at the amazing new stadium & of course you fans.”
Goalkeeper Michel Vorm is also leaving at the end of his one-year contract.
Pedro departs
Chelsea’s Spanish winger Pedro is leaving the Premier League club, manager Frank Lampard said after his team secured a place in next season’s Champions League with a 2-0 win over Wolves on Sunday.
The former Barcelona player has been with Chelsea for four seasons and was part of the Premier League title winning side in 2017. The 32-year-old also won an FA Cup and Europa League title.
“Pedro has played his last game for the club. The lads have just pretty much serenaded him in the changing room and rightly so because of the career he has had generally and for this club,” said Lampard.
“It was his last Premier League game, but the impact he has had here is huge. I want to say a big thanks to Peds and wish him well as he goes forward. He is here for the remainder of games, but a big player of the club leaves and the spirit of the club I saw afterwards was pretty special,” he added.
Chelsea face Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Saturday and then have the second-leg of their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, in which they trail 3-0.