Tottenham’s Yedlin: Sam Allardyce Made Something Click
A season-long loan to Sunderland last season has helped Tottenham Hotspur’s third choice right-back DeAndre Yedlin improve after making 25 appearances in all competitions and helping the Black Cats survive relegation.
According to the 22-year-old, his overall game — but most notably his defense — has improved since getting first team football opportunities away from Tottenham. It remains to be seen if it’s enough to land him a spot on Mauricio Pochettino’s squad next season or if he’ll go another loan move, but DeAndre Yedlin is a better player now than he was when he first arrived in England.
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Doing some of Sam Allardyce’s backline drills wasn’t fun for the U.S. international and his teammates but he knew that it would pay off in the long run.
And after a difficult start to his loan spell in which he wasn’t getting much playing time, the second half of the 2015-16 season saw Yedlin make some good strides and he quickly became a regular in Allardyce’s starting XI because something clicked.
"“I have to give a lot of credit to Big Sam [Allardyce], the manager,” Yedlin said (via Chronicle Live).“I don’t know what it was, but he made something click in my head. Maybe it’s his defensive approach to playing.”“Every Thursday every defender would do strictly defensive drills, no attacking at all. And we hated it, because it’s not the most fun thing to do, but at the end of the day it helps.”“And you could see towards the end of the season, the last 11, 12 games, we became a lot stronger as a defensive unit.”"
Because DeAndre Yedlin has improved into a much better player since his arrival to Sunderland from Tottenham, it’s come to a point that both Yedlin and Sam Allardyce wouldn’t mind a reunion if given the chance.
And since Tottenham’s right-back position is already filled with Kyle Walker the starter and Kieran Trippier the backup, DeAndre Yedlin’s spot is in doubt after a successful loan stint this past term. That a return to Wearside could be on the table.
Perhaps another loan move wouldn’t be bad, because Pochettino doesn’t necessarily need a third right-back on the squad with two good options to choose from as is.
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But for argument’s sake let’s say that DeAndre Yedlin sticks around. Why could he be a part of this Tottenham team?
With multiple competitions on the horizon once again while trying to contend for another league title this could give him just about the same about games that he received last term if there’s a rotation going on between all three right-backs.
For instance, Yedlin could partake in both the League and FA Cup games as well as mid-week fixtures while Walker and Trippier play in both the Premier League and Champions League group stage matches depending on certain match-ups.
DeAndre Yedlin is still a bit raw but has enough potential and talent to be a good enough full-back on this Tottenham team. Assuming of course that he gets some minutes which Sam Allardyce was more than willing to accommodate with the 25 appearances he gave Yedlin.
If, for whatever reason Mauricio Pochettino isn’t convinced that Yedlin won’t be able to rotate in this season, then the best option would be another loan.
This doesn’t mean that Tottenham are giving up on the young American defender, but it’s better than keeping him on the squad and doing nothing (see: Harry Winks).
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Should loaning DeAndre Yedlin be Mauricio Pochettino’s decision this summer, then one option would be to return to Sunderland where the American defender will be welcomed back with open arms.
Other choices might be any of the three promoted Championship teams: Burnley, Hull City and Middlesbrough. Maybe another Premier League club could be in the market for a promising right-back and Yedlin fits the bill.
Either way, there should be enough suitors that could take a chance on a player like DeAndre Yedlin. And if not, the only two teams he could play for is Tottenham as a rotational player or with Sunderland on a second season-long loan.