Manchester City are still looking to sign Kyle Walker, but could his exit actually make Tottenham a better team?
Tottenham’s Kyle Walker applauds fans after the game
Doubts over Kyle Walker’s future as a Tottenham Hotspur player remain in doubt, with the Independent one of the latest publications to report that Manchester City are planning a summer swoop.
If figures from the Sun are to be believed then Pep Guardiola is prepared to pay £40m to take Walker to the Etihad Stadium over the close season.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
The right-back has been a key part of Spurs’ successful 2016/17, playing 39 matches in all competitions as they finished second in the Premier League and also earning himself a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
Yet despite that, with Kieran Trippier waiting in the wings could Tottenham actually be an even better side if Walker was sold and therefore take City’s exorbitant offer and run?
While the 27-year-old has been a regular feature at White Hart Lane since a 2010 transfer from Sheffield United, there are still some doubts over his end product and critics argue that while undoubtedly a fantastic athlete, Walker is not a fantastic footballer.
Tottenham fans watch Kyle Walker take a throw in
That is perhaps best shown by the fact that despite starting just six league matches, Trippier matched Walker’s assists tally last term with five. In a 3-4-3 system favoured by manager Mauricio Pochettino, that ability going forward is vital and arguably the former Burnley man is a better fit as a wing-back.
Trippier’s performances for Pochettino’s side towards the end of the campaign has also earned him a first call-up into the England squad, with manager Gareth Southgate praising him for his contribution in the final third in particular.
With a huge transfer fee up for grabs and a readymade replacement/improvement already at the club, perhaps losing Walker will not be bad as it initially seemed.
Tottenham’s Harry Kane celebrates scoring their second goal with Kieran Trippier
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