Jan Vertonghen has admitted he may have to leave Tottenham Hotspur to achieve his dream of treading the West End boards as the star of Arthur Miller’s 1955 play, A View From The Bridge.
Vertonghen’s opportunities to test himself in one of theatre’s most challenging roles have been limited, owing to the commitments forced upon him by having a full-time contract as a professional footballer at White Hart Lane.
“It’s not easy going into training day in, day out, and wondering whether you’ll even get a callback from some crappy ITV sitcom,” the former Ajax ace told FourFourTwo.
“I’m aware that my career is short and if I want things to happen, I’m going to have to make them happen myself.
“Ultimately, my dream is to play Eddie Carbone, either at somewhere like the Donmar, or on Broadway,” he continued.
“The role explores important conflicts in modern notions of masculinity and duty, while letting you get really under the skin of this obsessive, frustrated man. He’s an ordinary guy, but also a tragic hero.
“I’d give anything to play Eddie, and I feel like the longer I spend playing out of position at full-back, the longer I’ll have to wait to take the role.”
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy recently confirmed that plans for Tottenham’s long-touted in-house repository company would not be going ahead, which seems to have forced Vertonghen’s hand.
“I’ve had some great times at Tottenham – scoring against Inter, beating Arsenal at home, playing Aladdin in the Christmas panto – but ultimately I want to challenge myself. I want to win a Tony.”
Spurs manager Tim Sherwood believes that Vertonghen can achieve all his professional ambitions at White Hart Lane, however.
He said: “It’s easy to be tempted by the thought of playing to a packed house alongside Patrick Stewart or Amy Adams, but Jan has to realise that he can play a starring role in a tragicomic farce right where he is.”
