The 28-year old Belgian centre-back Toby Alderweireld has been speculated to immense transfer rumours with Tottenham Hotspur now ready to move on the defender. Alderweireld’s current deal runs till for another three seasons but it is also no secret that the Belgian is seeking an improved contract.
The defender signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 on a five year deal with an option to extend it by another year for Tottenham. Although Spurs are unlikely to consider such a move since it would activate his £25m release clause, club chairman Daniel Levy does need to sit down and negotiate a new improved contract for the defender.
Since making his move from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015, he has gone on to become one of the top performers in the club. His ability to read the opposition’s game allows him to defend neatly without making unnecessary tackles. The stats clearly show his smart game with Alderweireld averaging just 0.3 fouls per 90 minutes, a sublime figure when you put it in comparison with the likes of Barcelona’s Gerard Pique and AC Milan’s Leonardo Bonucci who average at 0.88 and 0.93 fouls every 90 minutes.
His game on the ball also is highly efficient and his ability to distribute the ball and rotate it in defence makes him a wanted player for many top clubs in Europe. He has natural leadership qualities and at the age of 28, he is only reaching his peak as a centre-back.
Here are three clubs he can go to with Tottenham ready to let him go.
Chelsea
The highly-intelligent Belgian committed only 9 fouls in 30 Premier League games last season, an astounding fact given that Chelsea ace David Luiz who enjoyed his best season at West London committed 29 fouls in the same time.
A player of his quality would walk straight into any line-up across Europe right now, including Chelsea’s. Although the Blues will have to deal with a problem of plenty, Alderweireld will be an upgrade on Gary Cahill who is ageing fast and looking more and more average with every passing game. What his welcome would do, however, is that it would slow down the development of Antonio Rudiger with Antonio Conte likely to put Alderweireld along with Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta at the heart of his defence, should the Belgian make the switch.
Liverpool
Klopp’s set up does not allow defenders to set their defence or to organize their backline. The players base their defensive game largely on their individual talent to knock off the ball from the opposition or by pressing in packs to outnumber the opponent. However, the football pitch roughly covers an area of 6500 yards making it a spacious field to be utilized by 22 players. This would mean that teams who are smart on the ball and know how to hit on the counter will always have the advantage over Liverpool under Klopp. Hence a ball playing defender like Alderweireld could be the best possible solution for them.
Arsenal
A move to the North-London rivals! The Gunners were in the market for a defender last month. They failed to land their top targets and a deadline day bid for Jonny Evans was way lower than what West Brom expected. Arsenal currently have a host of centre-backs but no one has been able to stabilize the backline. Per Mertesacker is not getting any younger while Laurent Koscielny looks well past his prime. Rob Holding is still too young to command a regular starting position and Shkodran Mustafi has been extremely inconsistent. Hence Wenger might be interested in bringing in a defender who not only knows the league well but has shown that he can be a great defender.
