Kieran Trippier ended his four-year stay at Tottenham Hotspur by joining Spanish side Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Leon Osman has suggested that the talented Kyle-Walker Peters should replace Kieran Trippier in Tottenham’s backline, with Serge Aurier in the background as ‘protection’.
On Wednesday, right-back Trippier ended his four-year association with Spurs by signing for La Liga giants Atletico Madrid for £20 million [BBC Sport], as he will be now plying his trade against the likes of Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale.
It now means that Tottenham will have to replace their senior man in the fullback position because when Kyle Walker left the club in 2017, he made that position his own.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live(16/07/2019 at 8:30 pm), former Premier League midfielder backed the ‘matured’ Spurs academy product Walker-Peters to fill that role.
“I love to see our players going abroad,” Osman told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It’s very rare that there are players brave enough to step foot and play foreign football – I wish him all the luck in the world.
“With regards to Spurs, I am sure Pochettino has got a plan. He wouldn’t let this go that far down the line. Maybe he thinks Walker-Peters is actually not being far off ready, with maybe some protection by Aurier. He could be the man. If not I’m pretty sure he’s had the scouts working for these past few months and he’ll get something done pretty quickly because as we’ve seen he’s a very astute manager.
“I do think he’s improved [Walker-Peters] from when he made his debut. He was raw, but showed a lot of talent. He’s played a bit-part, he played in Barcelona where he cost Spurs a goal, but again I think he’s matured from that. He’s looked like a much better player, he’s now playing in the right areas.”
There’s no doubt that Walker-Peters has improved and he would be worthy of a first-team chance ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
Given Mauricio Pochettino’s recent record with youngsters, if Walker-Peters is ready then he will give him the platform to shine, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were to go out and sign a ready-made replacement.
Spurs are ready to take that next step on the ladder, and after moving into their new stadium, they will be eager to win their first trophy under Pochettino next season.
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