The Surprise Deal-
With Antonio Conte seemingly desperate for new arrivals at Stamford Bridge, the Italian manager was said to be looking at local rivals’ Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld. The Belgian center-back has become an integral part of the London club’s defense since arriving in 2015 from Spanish club Atletico Madrid.
Conte has managed to sign Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Anthony Rudiger and Willy Caballero this summer but having lost key players like club legend John Terry and Nemanja Matic, Chelsea are still looking to bolster their side up for a title defense.
Tottenham defender Alderweireld has attracted interest from the Blues after reportedly stating he is unhappy with the salary he receives at North-London. The former Ajax man is reportedly demanding double his pay from Tottenham but the club is unwilling to entertain any requests from the Belgian.
Alderweireld is keen on being in the same pay bracket as team-mate’s Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane, who are making over a £100,000 a week while Alderweireld earns roughly around £49,000 a week., as Spurs believe he is only worthy of those wages.
The 28 year old has made over a 100 appearances for Tottenham and is not ruling out a possibility of a move away from the club. When Alderweireld was asked about his future last month, he admitted, ‘No news that I know of so nothing – zero.’
And with the Premier League champions looking to secure re-enforcements at the back, they would look to take advantage of the stand-off between the player and club. If a deal for Virgil Van Dijk does not take place, Alderweireld would be a worthy replacement for the Dutch international.
Conte is preparing for another week of massive spending before the transfer window closes and is keen on bringing 3 or 4 more players at the club.
Alderweireld is a tall, strong footballing center-back who is experienced and good in the air. He is composed on the ball and can also play in the right-back role. But it seems unlikely that Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino would be willing to sell his prized asset especially to a rival club that beat Spurs 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday.
Editor’s View: The Watford Challenge-
Watford have started off really well in the Premier League this season, after beating Arsenal recently and securing all three points at home. On the other hand, the Blues lost their previous match against Crystal Palace in the league and were held to a 3-3 draw by AS Roma in the Champions League.
If they do not improve on their performance now, they might end up losing more points against the Hornets. It will be interesting to see what kind of strategy Conte uses for this one, as the Londoners look to catch hold of Manchester City, who are flying high in the league at the moment.
