Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks in action. (Getty Images)
According to The Mirror, Tottenham could part ways with midfielder Harry Winks in the summer if they are successful in landing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton.
Winks, 24, rose through the ranks of Tottenham’s youth system and was promoted to the club’s senior set-up in the summer of 2016. Since then, he has been a regular member of the squad. He was also instrumental in helping his side reach the Champions League finals last season. The £50,000-a-week midfielder is one of the key players for Tottenham.
Since making his debut for England in 2017, he has made 6 appearances for his nation so far. Despite struggling with injuries, he returned to Gareth Southgate’s squad for the European qualifiers and is seen as one of the best young talents in the country. He has been crucial for his club in recent times and thus, they should keep him in North London for the future.
At the moment, Mourinho has 5 midfielders available at his disposal. Eric Dier, Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Winks are the midfielders who have been used regularly by the Portuguese tactician.
Dier has been used as a centre-back since the restart and has done a decent job. Summer signing Ndombele has failed to live up to the expectations and has fallen down the pecking order. Sissoko, Lo Celso and Winks are the only consistent midfielders at the moment. And the Englishman has done a decent job so far.
He has featured in 30 league games this term and has been mainly used in a defensive role. In his absence, Tottenham have lost some crucial games. Since the restart, Mourinho’s men have lost just one game and Winks wasn’t present in the 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United. And prior to the lockdown, they lost to Southampton and Chelsea when the midfielder missed both the games.
This shows Winks’ importance in the squad. He has been there to stop the opponents’ attacks and that was visible in some recent big games against Arsenal and Manchester United. Thus, selling him would make things difficult for the club as the other defensive midfielders haven’t been up to the mark.
The 24-year-old’s numbers in the attack may not be among the best but his defensive work has been highlighted throughout the campaign. Oliver Skipp is the only other defensive midfielder but he is inexperienced and cannot be depended on week in and week out. Thus, keeping hold of Winks would be a wise decision by the club.
