Amid an era in which transfer rumours have become the page-view-churning, money-making bread and butter for the British sporting press, and in the of a time of year when the imaginations of supporters can be easily captured as they look ahead to 2017/18, Kyle Walker’s nine-post Instagram message has been interpreted in the extremist terms possible.
Of course, the England international could simply be thanking Tottenham fans for the support they’ve shown him this season, which has produced arguably the best form of his career.
But placed in the context of understudy Kieran Trippier starting four of Spurs’ last five Premier League fixtures, not to mention the FA Cup semi-final, Manchester City releasing two of their right-backs and Mirror Football not only linking Walker with the Citizens and Premier League champions Chelsea but further claiming the Lilywhites are looking to sell at £40million, the right-back’s latest social media venture inevitably points towards a departure.
The allegation that Spurs are prepared to cash in certainly makes interesting reading and according to our recent poll, a significant section of supporters would back that decision. Indeed, although Walker claimed a place in the PFA Team of the Season and has been up there with the best attacking full-backs in Europe over the last two campaigns, some of the White Hart Lane faithful have never quite warmed to him.
Whereas others see a penetrative, adventurous Dani Alves-esque menace overlapping down the right-hand side, a significant section of Spurs fans are more focused on Walker’s inconsistent final ball and questionable quality at the other end of the pitch, a recurring source of frustration. The fact Trippier has shown himself more than capable of filling the void when given chances in small doses since his arrival from Burnley in summer 2015 has only added weight to the argument that the north London club can afford to sell.
No doubt, Walker has his flaws. He still relies on burning pace to compensate for questionable positioning, often committing fouls to get himself out of trouble, and his quality on the ball varies over a disturbingly wide spectrum. One game, he can provide the verve and delivery of a top-quality winger; the next, he’s heavy-footed, cumbersome and his crosses can’t beat the first man. He’s actually produced the same number of accurate crosses as Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward this term, hardly a stellar talent on the ball, and just one more than West Brom’s centre-half-thrust-in-at-No.2, Craig Dawson.
Yet, many of those defensive failings are imposed upon Walker by the role he plays, as a member of the flying full-back breed that has taken world football by storm over the last few seasons. He’s encouraged to push up, to the extent he’s often wider and further forward than his according attacking midfielder, and thus gaps inevitably open on the counter – obliging him to stop anyone galloping into the space he’s left behind by hook or by crook. In many ways, it’s impressive he actually has the legs to get back and make any kind of challenge.
Likewise, although his end product may often leave Spurs fans infuriated, Walker’s attacking contributions have been up there with the very best in Europe this season, ranking in the top ten right-backs and right wing-backs for assists, key passes, successful dribbles and passes across Europe’s five leading top flights. Likewise, comparatively, his number of unsuccessful touches is relatively insignificant for a player who so regularly receives the ball and so often attempts to do something positive with it.
If Spurs fans want another attacking right-back to replace Walker, they’ll be hard-pressed to find one equally as talented available this summer. Suddenly, it’s all shaping up to be a case of the grass not always being greener, but more than simply Spurs deciding to cash in on a player who has received arguably undue criticism, offloading to a divisional rival could prove to be horrendously short-sighted.
After all, Walker is nothing not a by-product of the direction modern football has taken full-backs in recent years and at this point, they’ve become amongst the most important players on the pitch – often defining their team’s philosophies through their own style and balance between defence and attack.
It’s no coincidence the second-best team in the Premier League this season had the best full-backs and the best understudy full-backs, whilst the wing-backs of the reigning champions contributed to 14 league goals. In contrast, Manchester City fell short in the title race with their ageing clan, Liverpool could only just about cling onto fourth with a midfielder at No.3 and Manchester United, who used five different players at left-back throughout their league campaign, ended up in sixth. Top quality full-backs or wing-backs are more vital than they’ve ever been, yet Spurs are potentially about to hand one to a title rival.
Perhaps more significantly, Tottenham are passing Walker on at the age of 27, celebrating his birthday today. That’s premium years for any footballer, especially those who depend on stamina as much as Walker, and verging upon absolute peak years for a defender. As much as Walker may frustrate Spurs fans defensively, logic suggests experience will see those mistakes naturally disappear over the course of the next few seasons.
So Spurs are not only axing one of the best right-backs in Europe, not only reducing their quality in one of the most important positions of the modern game, not only seemingly selling to a divisional rival, but are also doing so ahead of what should be the best years of Walker’s career.
Why put up with all that inconsistency during Walker’s development, only to surrender him once he’s finally matured into a top-class talent in his position? It just doesn’t make sense and over the course of the next few seasons, as the competition at the top of the Premier League only further increases, it could come back to really hurt Mauricio Pochettino’s side.