Tottenham sell Kevin Wimmer to Stoke City

After months of speculation, Tottenham have finally sold Austria international centre-back Kevin Wimmer for a tidy profit.

The 24-year-old will move to Stoke City in a deal worth a rumored £18 million, a modest amount given the current inflated market but a significant return on the approximately £5 million Tottenham paid FC Köln two summers ago.

While he will certainly get more minutes with Mark Hughes’ Stoke over the coming season, Wimmer’s sale represents something of a let down after a brief turn as Spurs’ starting centre-back.

Brought into Spurs under the guidance of former Head of Recruitment Paul Mitchell, Wimmer was virtually a complete unknown outside of the Bundesliga. He’d helped Köln earn promotion back to the German top flight then fought to keep them there in their return season, but he continued to fly under the radar for most teams.

Wimmer’s unknown status made the deal for him a cheap one, and it meant that expectations were fairly low when he arrived in north London. Mauricio Pochettino was in the midst of a fairly dramatic overhaul of the club’s bench, and Wimmer seemed like a low risk option for the Argentinian to hopefully nurture.

More from Tottenham News

• Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
• Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
• Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
• Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
• Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help

There was enough confidence in the young defender though to name him as a backup option to the starting centre-back pair of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. He spent his first autumn with the club in 2015/16 featuring exclusively in cup matches, while Spurs’ Belgian duo became Premier League fixtures.

That all changed in late January when Vertonghen went down injured in a match against Crystal Palace. The winter transfer window was ending and it looked as if Spurs would be without one of their key players for at least two months.

Pochettino declined to test the market for a more experienced option and instead entrusted Wimmer with Vertonghen’s role. Though there was no shortage of doubts about Wimmer’s promotion to the starting XI, the Austrian quickly dispelled them with a series of competent performances alongside Alderweireld.

Indeed, Wimmer was so capable that Spurs hardly missed a beat in the time Vertonghen was gone. They continued to accumulate points that would eventually contribute to a third place finish, the highest Spurs ever achieved up to that point in the Premier League.

That brief run of matches was justification enough for many to assume Wimmer was the natural successor to Vertonghen, who was slowly inching toward 30. It seemed only a matter of time before Wimmer reclaimed his starting role.

A groin injury sustained with Austria during the European Championship in France that summer complicated matters, as did an apparent falling out between Wimmer and Pochettino at some point before the start of the 2016/17 season.

Whatever happened between them, it became clear to Pochettino that Wimmer was no longer a viable option — even in a backup role. The Austiran again got some cup matches alongside Academy youngster Cameron Carter-Vickers, but Eric Dier’s return to central defense duties crowded Wimmer out of the depth chart.

Next: What's wrong with Tottenham at Wembley?

And so the 2016/17 concluded with Wimmer out of contention. His situation became much clearer this month with the club’s acquisition of young centre-back Davinson Sánchez for a record fee. Wimmer wasn’t likely to break through again with both Dier and Sánchez available.

A move to Stoke, then, is best for club and player. Spurs see a sizable profit that can — quickly — be put to use for added depth elsewhere in the team, and Wimmer gets a chance to prove himself once again in the Premier League.