da 888casino： Coming into the offseason transfer window, one of the main rumours surrounding Manchester United was bolstering their defence by signing Tottenham’s Toby Alderweirald. Though United are still interested, it isn’t surprising that a deal hasn’t been struck as Daniel Levy tries to wrestle as much money out of a transfer as he can, no matter how close the deadline comes.
da imperador bet： With the Red Devils apparently hesitant to pay the £50m Spurs are demanding for the defender, the perfect opportunity has arisen for Liverpool to swoop for Alderweirald to cap off a productive transfer window.
Liverpool have been one of the most active Premier League clubs this summer, having secured the signings of Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Allison. With four signings in the books, it may seem like overkill to pay such a high price for what some might consider an ageing defender.
But if Jurgen Klopp’s side are serious about making a run for a trophy this year —and they appear to after a fourth-place finish in the league last season — Alderweirald is just what the Reds need.
Klopp employs a side that arguably boasts the most attacking talent of any Premier League club — with Mohamed Salah, Saudio Mane and Roberto Firmino manning the attack, Liverpool’s offence will be a force to be reckoned with. But their past two preseason games revealed that the club could benefit from some more help in defence.
On July 22, despite jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, Liverpool suffered their first preseason defeat when Borussia Dortmund mounted a comeback and won 3-1. Dortmund’s attack was too much for the Reds, as Christian Pulisic knocked in two goals and Jacob Bruun Larsen plugged his own in stoppage time.
Though Liverpool’s goalkeeper for the match was Loris Karius — not Alisson, whom they just acquired with a record transfer — the three goals they surrendered showed you can never have enough quality and depth on the defensive end.
Liverpool gave up another goal in a 2-1 victory of Manchester City on Wednesday, meaning the Reds have given up six goals in six preseason contests. Preseason games obviously must be taken with a grain of salt, but they aren’t meaningless. If anything can be taken away from Liverpool’s action, it’s that a bit of help in defence wouldn’t hurt.
Of course, Alderweireld qualifies as something much greater than a ‘bit of help’. He’s been one of the best defenders in the Premier League since arriving from Atletico Madrid and he impressed again in Russia this summer, when he helped push Belgium to third place in the World Cup. Partnering him with Virgil van Dijk, a similar centre-back who combines physicality with ball-playing quality, is a particularly mouth-watering prospect.
Alderweireld’s contract expires after this season, and Tottenham are inevitably interested in selling him off before he likely leaves on free. The £50m price tag the Spurs have placed on the defender is steep — Transfermarkt value Alderweireld at £40m — but the cost should only become more reasonable as the transfer deadline approaches. Man United appear willing to go toe-to-toe with Levy until the August 9th deadline, leaving time for Liverpool to swoop in.
Following the likes of Alisson, Keita and Fabinho, signing Alderweireld would cap off a fantastic summer for Liverpool.
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