Wesley Sneijder slams ‘useless’ Chelsea transfer target

Alvarez has been a key player for both Ajax and the Mexican national team over the past few seasons and was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

The Blues made a late move for the defensive midfielder, submitting a bid of a €50 million (£43.2m) in the last week of the transfer window, but the Dutch club refused to sell the player as they could not sign a replacement in time.

Alvarez’s desire to leave was evident however, with the 25-year-old reportedly going on strike in an attempt to force through the move, and he remains a target for Chelsea and could move to west London at a later date, though other clubs including Barcelona, West Ham and Newcastle are also interested.

However, Dutch legend Sneijder does not believe the player is worth what Chelsea were willing to play and blasted his former club for not selling when they had the chance.

‘Edson Alvarez plays every ball backwards or sideways, he’s of no use,’ the former attacking midfielder told Voetbal International.

‘They [Ajax] should have taken him to London quickly. You could have signed two good players for that [amount of money Chelsea offered in the summer].’

A defensive midfielder who can also play at centre-back, Alavrez is not known for his offensive output having registered just one goal and two assists in 15 games this season, though he does boast very good defensive numbers.

This may well appeal to Chelsea who are looking increasingly more likely to lose both N’Golo Kante and Jorginho next summer when their contracts expire.

The Netherlands’ most capped player of all-time, Sneijder enjoyed great success with his country as well as at club level with Ajax, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Galatasaray, and now works for FC Utrecht.

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