Assessing DeAndre Yedlin’s Future with Tottenham
The latest report regarding DeAndre Yedlin’s future with Tottenham suggests that he may be leaving this summer and returning to Sunderland if the price is right.
Four days ago, the Sunderland Echo reported that Black Cats’ manager, Sam Allardyce was keen on having DeAndre Yedlin return to the Stadium of Light either on another season-long loan or a permanent transfer this summer.
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After a good showing in the Copa América on the heels of a successful season-long loan spell with Sunderland, Yedlin’s value has just increased by a little.
Tottenham bought the young right-back from Seattle Sounders for £2.5 million and Chronicle Live is stating that he could be sold for £3 million.
It’s not much of an increase in value, but with only 21 appearances under his belt, it’s to be expected that his price tag is set appropriately.
Even with Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier already on Spurs’ squad there’s no need to sell DeAndre Yedlin just yet as Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t worked with him fully. Another loan spell with Sunderland will do wonders for Yedlin’s development while also helping Sam Allardyce allocate his money to help bolster his team in other areas without spending £3 million.
Though if his price doubles or triples, Allardyce will look elsewhere instead.
For the time being, DeAndre Yedlin is still a member of Tottenham and will be getting ready for Spurs’ pre-season once he returns from a short break. But his time with the club has already started running out if he continues to perform well on loan with Sunderland next season.
And based on what the 22-year-old showed last term after making 21 starts in 23 Premier League appearances it has convinced Sam Allardyce that the U.S. international can not only thrive in England’s top flight division but he could be a starter on his squad.
With Sunderland in the market for a right-back last January, it makes sense for the Black Cats to seal another loan for DeAndre Yedlin. After all he doesn’t mind returning to the Stadium of Light as he made clear last month.
"“I wouldn’t mind going back to Sunderland, whether it be on loan or whatever,” Yedlin said (via the Sunderland Echo).“I think it’s a great club and I had a great experience there, so I’d be open to that.”"
Coming into the Premier League as a right-back with a mentality of a right-winger, Yedlin’s defensive failings were quickly exposed when he and the rest of Sunderland’s defense were left out to dry during Dick Advocaat’s tenure.
But with Advocaat sacked and Allardyce replacing him, “Big Sam” as he’s commonly known, gave the former Seattle Sounders defender a chance with 9 starts in 11 appearances from October 3rd through December 30th.
However, following a bad outing against Watford at home on December 12th, DeAndre Yedlin was quickly subbed out and only made one more appearance leading up to the New Year.
His future with Sunderland was looking rather bleak.
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It would take a bad outing from his backup, Billy Jones at Anfield on Febuary 6th, for Sam Allardyce to go back to Yedlin and keep him in the starting XI until the end of the season.
With Allardyce’s help in training, for the first time in his career, Yedlin felt like a defender and is playing the position with much more confidence in each game.
He has become a much better footballer ever since he moved to England and joined Sunderland on loan. It’s something that his uncle told the Seattle Times prior to USA’s quarter-final match against Argentina in the Copa América.
"“I think he’ll even tell you that he got caught up in the bright lights of London a little bit,” Yedlin’s uncle, Dylan Walton-Yedlin, said to the Seattle Times (via Chronicle Live).“I think the move to Sunderland was good for him.”“For the first time in his life, he really knew that everything he was going to get out of soccer was the direct result of what he put into soccer.”"
All of the hard work that DeAndre Yedlin has gone through from his MLS days to now with the Black Cats, including being a starter on Jürgen Klinsmann’s 2014 World Cup squad in Brazil, showed in this summer’s Copa América.
After USA claimed fourth place, equaling their best ever finish from 1995, Klinsmann had glowing words for the 22-year-old.
"“It’s pretty cool to see DeAndre’s path over the last two years,” Klinsmann said during a Facebook question and answer session.“He’s becoming more mature, he’s become even stronger, more confident, and also on the tactical side of the game he’s learned a lot.”“He now knows how to read the game better, especially behind him when he’s going forward. He reads forwards better in one-on-one situations, so his learning curve is huge. He’s played a tremendous Copa América.”"
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DeAndre Yedlin is no longer just a speed demon as many people quickly noticed of the American right-back. Now, he can play defense and while he still has some mental lapses on where he needs to be on the pitch, he’s much more improved.
"“Dismissing him as nothing but a speed demon is easy, and he did need more than pace to succeed, but it’s also worth noting that Yedlin’s speed is the only world-class trait that any U.S. player has,” Fox Sports’ senior editor Ryan Rosenblatt said.“And, thanks to a season playing for Sam Allardyce at Sunderland, Yedlin now knows how to play [in] defense and use that speed.”"
At his current pace of improvement, it’s only a matter of time until DeAndre Yedlin either breaks through into Mauricio Pochettino’s squad next season or the year after, or he’s on a different team on a permanent transfer.