Chelsea FC Transfer Rumors: Key Transfer Targets – Part 2
Tobias Albertine Maurits Alderweireld
A product of the famed Ajax youth academy, which he joined in 2004, he made his first team debut in January 2009 and became a regular in the following season. He made a total of 186 appearances in his 6 years at Ajax and opted to join Atletico Madrid in 2013 for a reported 7 million pounds after refusing to renew his contract which had a year to go.
He struggled for game time at Atletico, despite his versatility in defence, as he found it difficult to dislodge the strong defensive pairing of Juanfran, Miranda, Godin and Luis preferred by Diego Simeone, which contributed immensely to Atletico’s La Liga win and appearance in the Champions League final which they lost to city rivals Real Madrid. In spite of his limited game time, he was included in Wilmot’s Belgium squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup where he started all but one of the team’s games.
He was sent out on loan to Southampton for the 2014-2015 where he made 27 appearances despite having several injury worries. He is still not considered good enough for Atletico Madrid and the club has shown a willingness to offload the 26-year old Belgian international for 8 million pounds, which has reportedly piqued the interest of several clubs in England, with Tottenham currently front-runners for his signature.
Mourinho is reportedly interested in him due to his versatility, as he can play effectively anywhere in defence, and believes he can act as adequate cover for Chelsea at the back in case of injuries. It remains to be seen if Alderweireld would be satisfied with a spot on the bench of the current Premier League Champions or a first team spot lower down.
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