Chris Wilder is encouraging Isaiah Jones to take inspiration from Chelsea ace Reece James, not Harry Kane, amid Tottenham Hotspur showing interest in the Middlesbrough full-back.
Tottenham target Isaiah Jones told to learn from Reece James and not Harry Kane
Chris Wilder wants Isaiah Jones to watch how Reece James plays the right-back position, as the Middlesbrough ace can learn ‘an awful lot’ in how the Chelsea star plays the role. He also hopes, via quotes by The Northern Echo, Jones is not trying to emulate Harry Kane.
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The Boro boss believes James is the perfect inspiration for Jones, as Thomas Tuchel likes to set the Blues up with a five-man defence. Whereas Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool prefers to let Trent Alexander-Arnold pull the strings at right-back in his four-man backline at Anfield.
Middlesbrough operate with a similar set-up to Chelsea in the Championship, with Jones a dynamic wing-back threat. The 23-year-old has also started the season on fire with a goal at home to West Brom, before laying on assists against Sheffield United and at Stoke City.
Jones only established himself as a first-team player at the Riverside Stadium last season, with 47 of his 48 senior outings up to the end of the 2021/22 campaign coming that term. Yet he also marked his breakthrough second-tier season with nine assists and scored once.
The London-born livewire’s performances in the North East also caught the eye of several Premier League clubs. 90min have reported Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United have been tracking Jones’ exploits with Middlesbrough after moving to wing-back.
He started his career as a right-winger, but moved to full-back following Wilder’s arrival in charge. A move that sparked TEAMtalk to note back in February that Tottenham, alongside Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Leeds United, West Ham United and Wolves, were all scouting him.
Wilder hopes Jones is not trying to emulate Kane amid Tottenham interest
Wilder believes Jones can take his potential to an even higher level from learning from the likes of Chelsea star James, and is hopefully not trying to emulate Tottenham striker Kane.
James established his potential through a season-long loan spell in the Championship with Wigan Athletic in 2018/19. He only offered three goals and three assists over 45 games in the second-tier. But he returned to Stamford Bridge, and quickly became their first-choice.
“One of things we do is talk to someone like Isaiah and say, ‘Who are the players you look up to? Who are the players you watch and aspire to emulate?” he said. “If he says ‘Harry Kane’ then we’re struggling a bit because I’m not so sure he’s going to play in that position.
“But we encourage him to take things from the players that are playing in his position, and look at the teams that are playing the system we’re playing at the minute really well. Reece James would probably be a great example for Isaiah.
“He’s a young player who plays the position brilliantly. Different teams play different ways, and different individuals do things slightly differently. But Isaiah can definitely watch someone like Reece James and take an awful lot from what he’s doing.”
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