Bayern Munich defender Mathijs de Ligt has been linked with a move to the Premier League but former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has concerns over whether the Dutchman can emulate the success of compatriot Virgil van Dijk.
Nearly five years on, it’s fair to say those who left Ajax after coming within touching distance of a Champions League final have enjoyed rather mixed success elsewhere.
While Frenkie de Jong has excelled at Barcelona, Donny van de Beek flopped at Manchester United. Ditto Rasmus Kristensen at Leeds and Hakim Ziyech at Chelsea. The jury is out, meanwhile, on Noussair Mazraoui at Bayern Munich, Ryan Gravenberch at Liverpool, and Andre Onana at Manchester United.
Matthijs de Ligt, meanwhile, has seen his career stagnate rather than soar, a man who captained Ajax to that famous win over Real Madrid joining Juventus and then Bayern for colossal sums but struggling to convince at either club.
Arsenal like Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt
According to The Athletic, Arsenal are the latest European powerhouse willing to take a punt on a player with vast if untapped potential, but one former Gunner has doubts about whether De Ligt can be at the Emirates what Netherlands team-mate Virgil van Dijk has become at Liverpool.
“I haven’t had the chance to see a lot of De Ligt lately and assess his current form. But it’s evident that he’s not realising his potential,” Silvestre, who joined Arsenal from Man United in 2008, tells GG Recon.
“He was unbelievable for Ajax when they reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. But, since then, we haven’t seen a great improvement from Matthijs in terms of his development and that raises some questions.
“Can he go to the next level? Can he get to the same level as Virgil van Dijk? When you show so much maturity at a young age, like he did as the captain of Ajax, you expect these players to kick on.”
The Gunners eyeing centre-backs
Silvestre is keen to point out, however, that De Ligt is ‘still only 24 years of age’. There is certainly plenty of time on the Dutchman’s side.
“He could compete with William Saliba and Gabriel at Arsenal and improve them defensively,” Silvestre adds. “He would certainly provide good competition, that’s for sure.”
The Athletic – and HITC Football – believe that Ajax’s latest defensive whizzkid – 17-year-old Jorrel Hato – is another name on Arsenal’s radar. Ditto Nico Schlotterbeck of Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern, meanwhile, are set to bring in Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur after missing out on Radu Dragusin. (HiTC)