Former Leeds United and Coventry City striker Noel Whelan has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur's Japhet Tanganga would deserve the pay rise which has been reported in the media recently.

According to the Evening Standard, the young centre-back is in talks with Spurs to increase his wage from £1,500-per-week up to £15,000-per-week after breaking into the first team under Jose Mourinho recently. That is a huge rise for the 20-year-old, whose current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2021 and the club are hopeful of tying him down soon.

Whelan believes that whilst it is a lot of money, the youngster would thoroughly deserve the wage increase due because of his impressive performances. Speaking about Tanganga's potential new contract at Tottenham, Whelan told Football Insider: “If the club are looking to give you that, you’re getting your reward from the club for performances.

“If the club didn’t think he was worth that a week then they wouldn’t even be thinking about offering that huge pay rise he’ll be getting. For players as well, you’ve got to cover your back. That’s probably about average these days, quite honestly, even if it is ridiculous money.

“But it’s something that he deserves and the club wouldn’t reward the player if they didn’t think that he was worth it."

You can't really argue with Whelan on this one. Since breaking into the first team recently, Tanganga's performances have been incredibly impressive for a player of his age. Indeed, he has been outstanding in his three Premier League starts, averaging 6.3 clearances, 3.7 tackles and 2.0 interceptions per game (SofaScore), with two of those games being against Liverpool and Manchester City.

He has also shown exceptional versatility as, in his seven appearances in all competitions, he has played three times as a left-back, twice as a right-back and twice as a centre-back (Transfermarkt). The 20-year-old certainly looks like a player with plenty of potential and the standards he has been playing to so far certainly warrant the increase in pay that he is reportedly set to receive.

Spurs fans, do you think that Japhet Tanganga deserves his reported wage rise? Let us know in the comments below...