Kieran Trippier has opened up on why he decided to call time on his Tottenham career at the end of last season, admitting that a number of factors were to blame including being jeered by his own supporters.
Trippier joined Atletico Madrid and has enjoyed a fine first season in Spanish football. However, the right-back’s form in his final few months at Tottenham left a lot to be desired.
Defensively, the England international made several mistakes leading to goals and he admitted that injuries and a loss of confidence did not help his cause towards the end of his time at the club.
When asked if he wanted to send a message to Spurs fans Trippier said in an interview with The Beautiful Game Podcast: “I’m happy you’ve asked this really because I’ve not had an opportunity to say what I wanted to say.
“Obviously when I came to Atletico, I said what I said about the situation. Some Spurs fans, I feel, misread what I said or maybe I did not really say it correctly.
“I feel like they felt disrespected in a way a little bit. But they don’t know what I personally went through last year with injuries and four or five months before the season ended, you know the club don’t want you.
“It’s not nice. Playing for four months knowing that the club don’t want you and stuff. It’s just difficult but that’s what I heard anyway.”
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The 29-year-old also admitted that being booed by Tottenham fans for his performances did little to help his confidence but insisted that he looks back on his time in North London fondly.
He added: “I thank the fans for welcoming me, most importantly. They got behind me but there were just little things you know.
“Like when you’re playing and you hear booing and stuff. It is not nice when it is your own fans.
“I am not saying they all did it but as a footballer, you can hear people in the crowd. You know what I mean? Taking a throw-in or taking a corner and you’re getting a few boos here and there and it’s your own fans.
“Obviously that was not nice and that did not help my confidence and I felt like that was a big factor in my last five months I’d say.
“The first half of the season, I thought I had done well. You know, I thought I started to go downhill from late December. That’s when it started going bad for me.
“Just little things like getting booed, hearing loads of rumours about the club moving you on at the end of the season.
“I’m thinking ‘alright I need to sort my own career out then. I need to think about my next step when I do leave’. Like I said before, I was struggling with injuries.
“Obviously I want to thank the Tottenham fans for welcoming me, for supporting me. It wasn’t like I was there for one year. I was there five years, an adequate time there.
“I’ve got great memories with Tottenham. But I just don’t the fans to think that I disrespected them when I left with the comments I’d made.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I personally never understand fans who boo or jeer their own players, no matter how poorly they are performing. Criticising players’ performances is fair game but the last thing a player who is lacking in confidence needs is to have one’s own fans get on his back. Moussa Sissoko was treated similarly before he eventually came good at Spurs.
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