Sky Sports pundit baffled by ‘strange’ Spurs transfer, claims ‘problem’ player being ‘targeted’

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier gave away yet another penalty over the weekend.

Paul Robinson has admitted that he is still baffled by Tottenham’s ‘strange’ decision to part ways with Kieran Trippier last summer because he thinks they have a ‘weakness’ at right-back.

Speaking to Stadium Astro, the Sky Sports pundit believes that Serge Aurier is being ‘targeted’, as he feels that Tottenham need to add another right-sided and left-sided fullback to their squad.

“I think there is a weakness at right-back,” Robinson told Stadium Astro. “I think Aurier has been the problem for a lot of the goals that they have been conceding.

“Teams have targeted him. You saw what Bayern Munich did in the Champions League. The amount of joy they had down that side.

“The right-back area has puzzled me over the years for Spurs. They sold Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier. The Trippier to Atletico Madrid transfer was a strange one, in my opinion. They had Walker-Peters there and you are thinking ‘Walker-Peters is going to compete with Aurier’. Aurier hasn’t been playing well then Walker-Peters goes out on loan to Southampton.

“Then you are thinking Jose has got somebody lined up to come in. I think defensively they have problems. They need a left-back and they need a right-back. And maybe another centre-back.”

Tottenham parted ways with Trippier last summer, which left then-manager Mauricio Pochettino with only Aurier and Kyle Walker-Peters as his right-back options – Juan Foyth has also deployed that role previously.

Nonetheless, Aurier’s erratic play, which he showcased once again over the weekend when he gave away another penalty, will no doubt be worrying Jose Mourinho.

The former PSG man is the only recognised right-back at the club after Spurs decided to loan out Walker-Peters to Southampton during the winter transfer window.

Japhet Tanganga, who seemingly cannot do anything wrong at this moment in time, has been playing across the backline recently and he could potentially be used in that role.

But the biggest worry, with Tottenham chasing a top-four finish and the European fixtures set to return, Mourinho simply cannot have Aurier continually making rash challenges because it could prove to be very costly.