Does Spurs’ Trippier signing trump Liverpool’s impending Clyne deal?

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After Burnley sold their right-back earlier in the summer, did the Reds miss out on a choice deal by pursuing Southampton’s Nathaniel Clyne instead?

Nathaniel Clyne and Kieran Trippier are two of English football’s top young fullback talents, and with the Burnley man having already sealed his move to Tottenham from Burnley earlier this summer, it looks like England international Clyne is set to follow him in switching as he prepares to switch to Liverpool from Southampton, according to Sky Sports.

But though the two players are undoubtedly both talented, one has moved for a reported price of £3.5 million according to the Mirror, while the other is going for an eventual fee of nearly £15 million say Sky.

It appears that Tottenham may have pulled of an incredible coup with Trippier’s signing, with his transfer fee so low because of a relegation release clause – especially when you compare his stats to those of Nathaniel Clyne, someone who will cost around four times more than the former Manchester City man.

Below we take a look at the statistics from both players last season:

Though Trippier did play three games more than Clyne, there are a few surprising revelations within the Opta data. First is that, despite the former Burnley man playing for a side that was eventually relegated, he boasts stronger attacking data in a couple of categories than a player that featured for a side that finished in the top seven.

Trippier assisted more goals than Clyne (who managed none) and also astonishingly fashioned nearly three times as many chances as the Southampton star. In fact, Leighton Baines was the only defender to set up more chances than Tottenham’s new fullback, encouraging news for the likes of goal machine Harry Kane, while the 24-year-old also had more touches than Clyne.

One attacking area the former Crystal Palace man did excel in was his ability to dribble past his opponent, though even this was a marginal victory.

Unsurprisingly, seeing as though Burnley conceded more goals than Southampton, Trippier also trumped the Saints fullback in the vast majority of defensive areas. Clyne was one of the league’s best when it came to completing tackles, but the new Tottenham defender won more ground duels for possession, blocked more crosses and intercepted more passes than his fellow right back.

Though both Spurs and Liverpool are right to be happy with what looks like being their new defensive additions, when it comes to value for money, it is hard to argue that Tottenham seem to have pulled off an excellent deal.

The only way of really seeing who signed the stronger player is waiting for the start of the new season, and for that reason, August 8 can’t come soon enough.