What some bulb thinks of Toby

Not me, just what some Amsterdam based nerd on a liverpool board said when they were linked in April.

"I don't know about Toby Alderweireld. On paper he is exactly what LFC needs. A ball playing centre back, at 24 not a man mountain yet, but hes got a pretty good frame to build on. He fits the system, has played it for almost 10 years now. He was great when he played with Vertonghen. When Jantje left I thought Alderweireld was going to step up. He really hasn't. He has the tools, the talent, the technical ability and the game intelligence but I don't know if he has got the character really to cut it at the next level.

Ive seen a lot of players at Ajax and some guys, well, you just see straight away that they are special and that they are going to reach great heights. Rafael van der Vaart had it. Sneijder had it. Suarez had it. Vertonghen had it. Fischer has it. Alderweireld hasn't got it. Or, he hasn't convinced me yet if he was. In that, compared to these other guys, he isnt a 100% sure bet.

I think that, on paper, he fits the system brilliantly and would certainly improve parts of it, especially building from the back. I imagine that an Agger - Alderweireld line would be able to play the line much higher up the field. But when paper meets the reality of the way football is played in the prem..
I don't know. I don't know if he will make it at the next level. Mind you, I thought the same about Vermaelen. That's him basically - a slightly less attacking, defensively somewhat better, right footed Vermaelen. You can make of that what you will. He's no Vertonghen that's for certain.

Alderweireld hasn't stepped up in Vertonghens absence in my opinion. In fact I have been more impressed with literally every other cb at ajax this year, even the two rookies from the academy. Off course a drop off of cohesiveness is expected when the more experienced of the CBs leaves, but that doesn't excuse a drop in personal form imho. But perhaps I'm being to critical. Ajax supporters are notoriously critical fans. I thought. Then I came here Maybe he needs a new challenge after winning back to back championships. He will probably get one in the summer as its looking more and more certain hell be leaving. He's gonna cost I think about 8-10m euros"

Posted By: MIKEWALKER, Jul 9, 11:40:42