Harry Winks surprised Tottenham fans back in August when he joined Sampdoria on loan for the 2022/23 campaign.
It was the 26-year-old’s first move away from Spurs since his arrival at the age of five back in 2002.
Interestingly, Winks actually forced the move himself, telling Il Secolo XI that “Tottenham would have kept” him if not for his desire to try something new.
It was a nightmarish start to life in Italy for the England international, as he battled an ankle injury.
However, Winks has finally made his debut for Sampdoria, and it was worth the wait.
What’s the story?
Well, Winks only played 28 minutes of Sampdoria’s 1-0 defeat to Empoli on Monday night, although he made quite an impact in that short space of time.
Even the official Twitter account of Serie A praised the Tottenham academy graduate for his performance in the form of emojis, posting three applauding hands on their social media, which you can see below.
Italian news outlet Genova Today also praised Winks for his efforts against Empoli.
Writing a match report on the Serie A clash, they put: “It is clear that he is a high-level player, even if he has always been injured so far. Good starting point to put order and some quality in midfield.”
Hopefully, Winks can avoid any setbacks with his ankle, and show Sampdoria fans what he can do in weeks to come.
Tottenham could lose Harry Winks
It may only be a season-long loan for now, but Tottenham supporters may have already seen Winks play his final game for Spurs if he does well in the second half of the campaign.
As detailed by Fabrizio Romano, Sampdoria negotiated a £20m option to buy Winks on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
Having only made one appearance for the Italian outfit so far, that seems unlikely to be triggered, although if the Sampdoria No.20 shines between now and the summer, they could decide to trigger that clause.
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