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Former Dutch international Wesley Sneijder has advised Liverpool against signing Ajax defender Jurrien Timber because of a major weakness in his game.
Timber has been strongly linked with a move to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, with his girlfriend claiming that the defender has been house-hunting in the city. However, Sneijder has insisted that the Netherlands international could struggle in the Premier League due to his diminutive stature.
He has claimed that the Liverpool target is pretty poor in the air and that makes him far from ideal for the Premier League. Sneijder told Dutch TV show Veronica Offside, as quoted by Metro:
"He’s a smart lad and a really good defender. But he loses every header and in England – against those wardrobes in the Premier League – that will be his downfall."
Timber's former Ajax teammate Lisandro Martinez was also deemed too small for the Premier League by many when he joined Manchester United last summer. However, Sneijder has claimed that Martinez, despite being small, wins plenty of headers just like his former Real Madrid teammate Fabio Cannavaro.
He added:
"Lisandro Martinez is also small, but he can still jump and rise above players. I used to see that with [former Real Madrid team-mate] Fabio Cannavaro. He was also small but he won every header."
Timber is a versatile defender who can play either at centre-back or at right-back and has a frame of 5 feet 9 inches. Despite his small stature, he has mostly featured as a centre-back for both club and country to date.
The 21-year-old has already made 115 appearances for Ajax to date, having scored five goals and provided four assists.
Liverpool star keen on a move to Barcelona
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is reportedly interested in re-joining Barcelona.
As reported by Spanish media outlet Fichajes, the Spain international is keen to move back to his boyhood club Barcelona this summer His contract at Anfield expires in the summer of 2024 and the midfielder is understood to be unwilling to sign a new deal.
He has been a regular feature in Jurgen Klopp's midfield when fit since his £20 million move to Liverpool from Bayern Munich in 2020. The technically-gifted midfielder has won three trophies during his time at Anfield, including an FA Cup and a Carabao Cup.
Thiago came through Barcelona's youth ranks and spent five seasons in the Blaugrana first-team. He won 10 trophies, including four La Liga titles with the Spanish side.
