Three Ideal Destinations For £44m-rated Tottenham Star Toby Alderweireld
Since the mauling of Rochdale in the FA Cup a month ago, Toby Alderweireld hasn’t featured in a Spurs shirt and is expected to be on his way out of North London. His future has alerted a number of clubs, who are currently monitoring his situation and at Tottenham.
On top of that list are Manchester United and Chelsea. The Belgian, who currently earns £50,000-a-week at Tottenham right now, reportedly has a £25m buyout clause which becomes active in the summer of 2019 and if a club needs to sign him this summer, they would have to pay a fee of around £44m.
Alderweireld was a mammoth figure for Spurs in last year’s successful season, where they finished on 86 points. He was arguably the best centre-back last season and the Belgian duo of himself and Vertonghen worked wonders for the Lilywhites.
Here are three clubs that Toby Alderweireld can choose to join.
Chelsea
He could fit into the Chelsea line-up like a jigsaw puzzle piece. With the three-man defence in the equation, to fill the central spot would be good for both parties. He is a master in shutting out gaps between himself and the full-backs, which means he would only do better in a 3-man backline.
The Blues too need his services as Andreas Christensen has been error-prone in recent matches and club captain Gary Cahill hasn’t been in Conte’s plans in the big games. Moving on, Zouma’s return and Chelsea’s loan policies remain a tricky aspect for the club whereas David Luiz has been ruled out due to injuries and other setbacks.
Manchester United
He will surely improve the quality and professionalism in the Manchester United ranks. Although they have six centre-backs in Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelöf, Toby Alderweireld could overpower all of them and cement his place, thus bettering the standard.
While most of them have been sidelined due to injuries, others have blown hot and cold. Hence, his solidity and consistency would be handy for the Red Devils and Jose Mourinho who loves sturdy defenders.
Barcelona
Owing to his services for club and country in the last couple of years, Alderweireld certainly deserves to win a trophy and undoubtedly, Barcelona is the place to do it. They are in line to win the La Liga this season, and with some reinforcements, mending and reconstructions, they can win it next season too. The 29-year-old can surely help them in their overhaul by joining the heart of the defence alongside Umtiti and Pique.
The latter, 31, can be replaced by the muscular defender in the coming years. Pique is a touch slower off the ball whereas Toby can defend well in set-pieces, tackle sharply, block shots valiantly and offer as much threat as Pique while going forward. For the commanding figure that he is, the centre-half can be a fine addition to the Catalans.