Tottenham Hotspur made waves in the 2020 summer transfer market, bringing in seven new faces on loan and permanent deals. However, there was also one major outgoing in the form of Kyle Walker-Peters.
The academy graduate played 24 games for the Lilywhites after breaking into the first-team squad under Mauricio Pochettino, including three Champions League matches.
In that time, he scored his first Tottenham goal and recorded an impressive five assists, showcasing his prowess in the final third (TransferMarkt).
However, Walker-Peters struggled for opportunities at right-back under Jose Mourinho and subsequently went out on loan to Southampton last season. This seems ironic now as the youngster could walk into the Spurs XI these days.
What’s more, Spurs reportedly only sold the 23-year-old for around £12m, which seems very low for a player with a pretty high ceiling.
Walker-Peters has taken to regular Premier League football like a duck to water and it is no coincidence that Southampton’s form took a dive after his injury.
So, all of this points towards Tottenham making a big mistake and, in isolation, I would agree. However, that does not paint the whole picture.
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In my opinion, Spurs would have struggled to sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from the Saints if not for the transfer of Walker-Peters. Southampton may have been more stubborn on price and could have easily sold to the likes of Everton instead.
Therefore, for me, it comes down to whether Spurs gained more from Hojbjerg than they lost in Walker-Peters. Such is the state of the Tottenham holding mid role, I would have to mark it as good business.
That being said, bringing Hojbjerg into the side while retaining Walker-Peters or just loaning him out would have been amazing because he looks like a great player.
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