DeAndre Yedlin : The New Spur
The USA right-back DeAndre Yedlin will join Tottenham in January from Seattle Sounders after being granted a work permit to play in the English Premier League. Spurs agreed to sign Yedlin on a four-year deal in August but announced at the time that the 21-year-old would remain with the Sounders until the end of the Major League Soccer season.
Spurs agreed this August to pay a $4 million transfer fee, 75 percent of which was to go to the Sounders because of Yedlin's status of a homegrown player. Yedlin ended his MLS stint in style, helping the Sounders win the Western Conference title and Supporters’ Shield before losing to Los Angeles Galaxy in the Conference Finals. Yedlin, who has 10 caps, made three appearances for the USA at the World Cup, in group games against Portugal and Germany and in their last-16 defeat to Belgium.
The speedy right-back made spectators sit up and take notice at the World Cup by coming on as a substitute in three games for the U.S. He helped in keeping Cristiano Ronaldo quiet in the Americans' 2-2 draw with Portugal, and played nearly 90 minutes in USA's round-of-16 defeat to Belgium.The 21-year-old played for the Sounders against Spurs in the 3-3 friendly draw in Seattle back in July.
DeAndre Yedlin is a two-time MLS All-Star, a Supporters’ Shield and U.S. Open Cup winner and the 2014 U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year.
“I’m very excited to get into the Premier League and challenge myself against some of the best players in the world,” Yedlin said on an interview with SpursTV back when the transfer was announced in August. “It’s a great team. I know with the new coach coming in, it’s a style that fits with the way I play. That’s a big reason I made this decision. I’m just excited to come in and learn under him and under the great players on this team.”
“DeAndre is a young player with great potential who has already achieved a lot in Major League Soccer,” the Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino, said. “It is important for his development that he is given the time to adapt to his new surroundings on and off the pitch and we believe that by coming to us in January it will give him the best opportunity to do so.”
His pace is his biggest strength on both sides of his game, offensive as well as defensive. He intercepts the ball well and keeps possession of the ball easily.Although he can cross decently, he loves to cut-backs once he has the chance to lay off the ball for a finish.
Yedlin joins an exciting mix of emerging youngsters and great talent at Spurs, who currently stand seventh in the Premier League and are also involved in the Europa League among other competitions. Expect him to give tough competition to Kyle Walker , Kyle Naughton and Eric Dier for that right back spot in the Spurs first team. Mauricio Pochettino would love have this guy in his team. And let's see what this guy adds to the Tottenham's Hotspurs push for a top four finish in the Premier league.