Kyle Walker-Peters of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 12, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Getty Images)
According to Football London, Jose Mourinho has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur won’t stop Kyle Walker-Peters from leaving if he wants to depart this summer.
Walker-Peters started the season as former boss Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice right-back due to an injury to Serge Aurier, making three league appearances. The 23-year-old defender, however, played just one game under new coach Mourinho.
Mourinho opted to play Aurier instead of the academy graduate. As a result, Walker-Peters was soon sent on loan to rivals Southampton in January to get game-time.
Luck seemed to have not favoured Walker-Peters as he struggled to break into the Southampton first-team initially after his loan move. However, the Englishman has impressed since the restart of the season. He has established himself as a regular at St Mary’s following a string of impressive displays.
He has made nine league appearances in total this season, most of which have come under Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl. Walker-Peters, meanwhile, will play for the Saints until the end of this season and is expected to return to Tottenham, where he is contracted until 2023.
Despite being an academy graduate, Walker-Peters has never quite established himself at Spurs and has till now managed only 24 appearances for them.
Tottenham, on the other hand, have just one right-back in Aurier. Though the Ivorian has shown glimpses of brilliance at times, he has been largely inconsistent and it has been evident in Tottenham’s displays this season.
The Lilywhites have suffered defensively throughout this season and have conceded 44 goals from their 34 league matches. Out of the 22 Premier League matches since Mourinho’s arrival, Tottenham have kept just six clean sheets.
In all these matches Aurier has been the first-choice right back, and the defensive numbers paint a clear picture that the Ivorian has been far from impressive. In such a scenario, letting go of a player like Walker-Peters would hurt the side next season.
Mourinho has to hold onto the young defender, as he will offer him depth in a problematic position. Rather than offloading him, Tottenham should keep more faith in Walker-Peters and offer him more chances next season, now that he has shown glimpses of his talent at Southampton.
Tottenham’s dearth of right-backs has been very evident and Walker-Peters’ departure will not put them in good stead, especially considering the main man Aurier’s poor form. Walker-Peters is still only 23 and has plenty of football left in him. They can also save a lot of money by not spending unnecessarily on a new right-back, instead putting faith in their academy graduate.
