Tottenham 2017-18 Player Preview: Kyle Walkers-Peters
By Ryan Wrenn
Kyle Walker-Peters is the subject of HotspurHQ’s next Tottenham player season preview, and it’s probably the most unexpected one of the whole bunch.
The facts are plain. To date, Walker-Peters has only ever featured with Tottenham’s under-21 side, as well as the England under-21st. That is to say, he has not yet played a game of competitive professional football.
Now, just days out from Spurs’ season opener against Newcastle on Sunday, Walker-Peters is slated to feature in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI.
That is the result of a couple factors reflecting both his quality as well as the current plight of Tottenham Hotspur.
Pochettino always intended to include Walker-Peters in his first team plans this season, much as he did with Cameron Carter-Vickers last term. He would train with the first team and might, if he was fortunate, pick up his senior debut in a domestic cup game.
Walker-Peter’s chances improved after his participation in this summer’s under-20 World Cup in South Korea. He featured at right-back for the England side that won it all — the first World Cup victory at any level since 1966.
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That incredible honor didn’t guarantee him a chance in Pochettino’s team — Josh Onomah also featured for England in that competition, and he got sent out on loan last week. It certainly didn’t hurt matters though.
Neither, of course, did Kyle Walker’s departure in July. That automatically promoted Walker-Peters to Kieran Trippier’s backup, which given the fact that Pochettino most regularly rotates full-backs throughout the season, virtually guaranteed him a good amount of minutes in his freshman season.
If Walker-Peters wasn’t already dizzy from his ascent up the ranks at Tottenham, he must be now. Trippier’s twisted ankle — suffered in the last pre-season friendly of the summer — put Walker-Peters as the presumptive starter come Sunday. Not many other youngsters earn their senior team debut as full starters.
Now, it’s worth noting here that, if they weren’t before, Tottenham are certainly exploring their options on the transfer market for another right-back. Talented as he might be, it is far too much of a risk for a team like Tottenham to rely on an entirely green 20-year-old in as vital a position as full-back.
For the time being, though, Walker-Peters could not ask for a better chance to prove his worth to Pochettino. Already he performed admirably against Juventus after Trippier’s injury, and Newcastle won’t be quite as intimidating.
Indeed, it is not out of the question that Walker-Peters could impress beyond anyone’s expectations here. Just two years ago, with Spurs short of options in defensive midfield, Pochettino turned to Eric Dier. Over the final few weeks of the summer transfer window, Dier excelled enough in the position to convince Pochettino to not bother finding a “proper” player on the market.
Next: How long is Kieran Trippier due out?
It would be far more notable if Walker-Peters pulls off a similar stunt, but in the mean time it will at the very least prove exciting to watch him try.