Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that Harry Kane could become a club legend at Tottenham Hotspur like Steven Gerrard at Liverpool or John Terry at Chelsea after seeing him sign a new contract at the club until 2022 which will pay him, when the add-ons are factored in, more than £100,000-a-week.

Tottenham have pressed on with their policy of rewarding the squad’s key performers with longer and more lucrative deals, and the central defender, Jan Vertonghen, is poised to become the next of them to sign. The club are also keen to extend the terms of the goalkeeper and captain, Hugo Lloris.

It is Kane’s new contract that has lifted the mood, after a run of one win in ten matches in all competitions. Pochettino sees Kane as a symbol of the club, where he has risen up through the youth ranks, and he spoke with rare affection about how the 23-year-old had prioritised his love of Tottenham and his connection with the fans.

Kane’s third new deal since August 2014 has made him the best paid player in the club’s history but nobody is in any doubt that he could have earned more at one of the rival clubs that covet him.

It was put to Pochettino that it was rare for a modern footballer to put emotion and the sense of belonging before money. “It is true and, for that, Harry is very special,” Pochettino said. “He is special on the pitch and special off it. The club recognised his value and I congratulate Daniel [Levy], the chairman, too, because it was very important for us to make this happen. If you ask Harry, he is sure that it is not about money. He loves Tottenham and he wants to stay here in this project.”

Gerrard and Terry were products of the Liverpool and Chelsea youth systems, respectively, and the latter has spent the entirety of his career at Stamford Bridge. Gerrard, too, is a one-club man in terms of English football, although he did bring down the curtain on his career at Los Angeles Galaxy.

“One day, Harry could be like this type of player for us,” Pochettino said, with reference to Gerrard and Terry. “In the two-and-a-half years that I have been at the club, he has shown his commitment every season.

“He is one of the best strikers in the world; he has shown that, and teams, not only in England but in Europe, have seen him and they have followed him and thought there would be a possibility, one day, to take Harry. But he is very happy here and, one more time, he has shown his commitment to the club.”

Pochettino believes that Kane’s affection for Tottenham, and his awareness of what the club means in London, has helped him to find an extra edge in derby matches. He has 18 goals in 23 capital city derbies in the Premier League – an extraordinary record.

“I believe in energía universal,” Pochettino said. “It is connected. Nothing happens for causality. It is always a consequence. Maybe, it is one of the reasons that Harry always scores in derbies. I believe in that energy. For me, it exists.”

Pochettino has seen a clutch of his players commit to longer contracts and, with Vertonghen set to extend, the manager was asked about Lloris – whose current deals runs until 2019.

“Maybe, you need to ask Hugo and the chairman,” Pochettino said. “Maybe, in the next few days, you will receive another [contract] news – but I think it is not Hugo. Hugo is a very ambitious player but he is very happy here. He wants success here and to stay here.”

Pochettino reported that Toby Alderweireld, who has been out since 15 October with a knee injury, had been involved in training during the week but he was still not at 100% while he was “a bit worried” about Erik Lamela’s hip problem. “His evolution is not in the way we expect,” Pochettino said.