Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a late January transfer deal, with young defender Kyle Walker-Peters a reported target for Premier League rivals Southampton, according to The Sun.
The rising star is highly regarded in North London and is being tipped to have a considerable role in the Spurs first team once he matures.
Walker-Peters started Tottenham’s first Premier League game of the season, a 2-0 win away to Newcastle United, but since then the 20-year-old has largely been on the fringes of Mauricio Pochettino’s team.
The presence of Kieran Trippier and signing of Serge Aurier mean that the youth-team graduate is Spurs’ third-choice right-back and unlikely to feature in many games for the rest of the season.
For Walker-Peters to develop, regular first-team football is needed – but it looks highly unlikely that the Edmonton-born youngster would receive this at Southampton.
Cedric Soares is firmly established in the right-back role at St Mary’s and as such sending the Tottenham defender to the south coast would be a mistake.
While Southampton are still in the FA Cup, Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino fielded his top team in the last round, including Soares.
As such, Walker-Peters would merely be swapping one bench for another – and could even get more time on the pitch by staying at Tottenham as a cup replay against Newport county looms.
While allowing the 20-year-old to go out on loan for the rest of the season may not be Pochettino’s worst idea, it must be to a club where he is guaranteed to play – and as such an outfit in the Championship looks like a wiser choice.