Opinion: Tottenham making mistake over 23-year-old, could be key man under Mourinho

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly on the verge of selling youth-team product Kyle Walker-Peters to Premier League rivals Southampton, with Football Insider suggesting a permanent deal is close to completion.

While the full-back’s departure will boost Spurs’ transfer coffers for this summer, there is a lingering feeling that the 23-year-old has not had a full opportunity to shine in North London.

Tottenham have had issues at right-back in recent years – ever since the sale of Kyle Walker to Manchester City in 2017, in fact.

While Kieran Trippier put in some solid performances for Spurs initially and his crossing was excellent when on form, the now-Atletico Madrid defender showed a lack of enterprise on the front foot and was regularly caught out of position going back the other way.

Serge Aurier’s time at Tottenham has been a roller-coaster, with the Ivory Coast international splitting opinions among the fans.

The African full-back has the physical capabilities to be a success at Spurs and had an improved campaign in 2019-20, but the former PSG man can be rash and is very prone to mistakes.

As such, why wasn’t Walker-Peters given more of an opportunity to play?

The 23-year-old looked impressive for Southampton while on loan last season and will only improve as he matures.

Tottenham need to boost their options in the full-back positions this summer and it remains to be seen whether finding a better option than Walker-Peters for less than the price we’ll receive from Southampton is possible.