Glen Johnson believes that Chelsea should look to bring former Tottenham centre-back Toby Alderweireld back to the Premier League this summer.
Alderweireld is arguably one of the best centre-backs that Tottenham have had during the Premier League era.
The Belgian formed a solid partnership at the back with his compatriot Jan Vertonghen at White Hart Lane and was a key figure in the Mauricio Pochettino revolution, which saw the Lilywhites contest for the Premier League title and finish as Champions League runners-up.
After six seasons at Spurs, Alderweireld left the North London club last summer to join Qatari club Al-Duhail, and despite playing his football in Qatar, he remains a key part of Roberto Martinez’s Belgium set-up.
Johnson believes the 33-year-old remains capable of playing in the Premier League and urged his former club to bring him back to England, insisting that Alderweireld could thrive as a part of Thoms Tuchel’s set-up at Stamford Bridge.
When asked about who he would sign as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, the former Chelsea and Liverpool right-back told GGRecon: “I know it’s going to sound a bit out there but I would say Toby Alderweireld, who used to be at Tottenham.
“He’s not going to cost much, he knows the Premier League, he’s a good footballer, and I think in a proper team he could surprise a lot of people.”
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It would be difficult to stomach watching Alderweireld in a Chelsea star but Johnson is right in his analysis. Even at 33 years of age, the Belgian might be perfectly suited to playing as a central sweeper in a back three. In fact, if Alderweireld was still at Spurs, I suspect he would be a regular starter under Antonio Conte.
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