Antonio Conte’s men were back to winning ways as they picked up their first points of the new Premier League season with a victory over Tottenham Hotspur at their new home in Wembley this Sunday. The Blues are one of the strongest outfits in the league at the moment but Conte is adamant to try and make sure that he solves all the little frailties in the squad before the deadline day.
The Italian manager is evidently unhappy with his backline and has been constantly scouting for players who can walk into the first team this season. A number of star defenders have been linked with a move to the Bridge recently and one name now doing the rounds is Belgian star Toby Alderweireld.
Arguably one of the best defenders in world football at the moment, Alderweireld has been in impeccable form for Spurs for more than a couple of seasons now but is reluctant to sign a new contract at his current club. He has been linked with a move to Manchester City recently and Chelsea are the latest club to scout for him.
The Sun claims that Chelsea are ready to double Alderweireld’s wages and are ready to offer what it takes to land him this summer but do Chelsea really need him?
Standing at 6ft 2in, the 28-year old is a strong and athletic defender who is as good in the air as he is with the ball at his feet. He hardly allows his opponents to win the ball in the final third while his ability to stay a step ahead has seen Spurs establish themselves as one of the best defences in the league.
The first choice for club and country at the moment, Alderweireld has 128 Eredivisie appearances, 96 PL appearances, 27 UEL appearances and 23 UCL appearances to add to his 67 international appearances for Belgium and is one of the most experienced centre-backs in Europe at the moment.
He has played in three different leagues and will adapt to Conte’s system in no time. He will walk into the first team, probably at the heart of the backline, which will allow the manager to use Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christiansen less regularly than he has had to, in the first few games of the season.
At 28, he will be an option for the Blues for years to come but the biggest problem for them will be to convince him to shift clubs within the city. He is settled under Pochettino and will not be easy to lure out of the club.
