3 Tottenham Hotspur players who could look for loan moves in January | Premier League 2019-20
Tottenham Hotspur have concluded their first piece of business during the current transfer window as at the time of writing, bringing Portuguese midfielder Gedson Fernandes to North London on an 18-month loan, with an option to make the move permanent at the end of the period.
The signing isn’t expected to be the last for Jose Mourinho’s team this month, as more incomings and outgoings appear likely, with Christian Eriksen possibly heading to Inter Milan in the next few days. But could some other players leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium too, perhaps on loan moves?
Despite Mourinho’s relatively small squad, the following 3 players have struggled for game time recently, and given their young age, could move elsewhere on loan to gain some valuable minutes and experience.
Here are 3 Tottenham Hotspur players who could look for loan moves this January.
#1 Juan Foyth
When the 2019-20 season began, the future was looking bright for 22-year old defender Juan Foyth at Tottenham Hotspur. A favourite of Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentine was tipped to be given a chance as Spurs’ first-choice right-back following the departure of Kieran Trippier, but he picked up an injury during pre-season and once he got himself fit, everything had changed.
Pochettino was fired and replaced by Jose Mourinho, and suddenly, Serge Aurier had been re-installed as the team’s primary right-back, with Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez all ahead of Foyth in the queue for a spot in central defence as well.
Juan Foyth was given a chance to prove himself in games against Bayern Munich and Norwich City but struggled somewhat, and now his position has become even trickier due to the emergence of the highly-rated 20-year old Japhet Tanganga who has been promoted into the first team and has performed well in his appearances so far.
It’s clear that Foyth has raw talent, but it now appears that his pathway to a spot in the starting XI has become blocked, so perhaps it’d be a good idea to send him out on loan for more development. Mourinho could then bring him back, and depending on his form, could either install him as a possible replacement for Vertonghen or sell him outright.
#2 Oliver Skipp
Jose Mourinho is a boss not renowned for developing and using younger talent, but while he’s given opportunities to Japhet Tanganga, Ryan Sessegnon and Troy Parrott since arriving at Tottenham Hotspur, the Portuguese manager’s old reputation has largely rung true for 19-year old midfielder Oliver Skipp.
A tidy, skilled midfielder with a great passing range and strong tackling ability, Skipp broke through at Spurs last season and made 8 Premier League appearances under Mauricio Pochettino, but since Mourinho’s arrival, he has only been given 10 minutes to impress in a December match against Burnley.
Skipp was always going to struggle for minutes given the presence of Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Tanguy Ndombele who play a similar role, but with the arrival of Gedson Fernandes and the resurgence of Eric Dier, there just doesn’t seem to be a place for him in Tottenham’s current first-choice XI.
At just 19 years old though, he’s a talent worth keeping and developing, so it’d probably be smart for Spurs to send him out on loan, perhaps to a club in the EFL Championship or even a lower Premier League side for him to develop and prove himself before returning to North London either next season or the one after that.
#3 Kyle Walker-Peters
Despite his promise, academy graduate Kyle Walker-Peters has seemingly never been fully trusted in Tottenham Hotspur’s first team, even by Mauricio Pochettino.
It appeared that the 22-year old might be given his chance this season, but after performing well in Spurs’ first two games of the season, the right-back injured himself in their third fixture, and subsequently found himself once again out of favour, behind not just Serge Aurier, but central defender Davison Sanchez and midfielder Moussa Sissoko in the pecking order.
Despite Aurier’s massive inconsistencies, Walker-Peters has not been given another shot in the first XI, and more worryingly for him, current reports suggest Spurs are now looking to bring in a new right-back, with Norwich’s Max Aarons supposedly one of the names in the picture.
That means that Walker-Peters probably needs a move, but while a permanent move might be a step too far right now given his potential, a loan would work for him to gain some much-needed experience and confidence. Crystal Palace has already been mooted as a destination, and that’d be a move that would likely work well for him.