The 2016-17 season has not been the best one for Kevin Wimmer. The Austrian has struggled for time on the pitch this campaign and whenever he had, he certainly did not impress. Remember his terrible own goal against Arsenal which happens to be the most special game for the fans? Quite expectedly, he is right now out of favour at White Hart Lane and reportedly has been lined up for a return to the Bundesliga, with Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg are monitoring his progress.
Will it be a smart move for Spurs to part ways with Wimmer in January? I would say no and here are the reasons why.
Ideal backup defender
Wimmer signed a five-year contract with Tottenham last July despite knowing that Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are and will remain the first-choice centre-back duo. Not many players would commit his future to a club knowing that his first-team opportunities will be limited.
Even if Spurs want to sell the Austrian, they will find it really hard to replace him. Any quality central defender will demand first-team which is not possible for Pochettino to offer due to the fact that Alderweireld and Vertonghen are the best central defensive pairing in England right now and probably in Europe too.
Europa League commitments
Spurs’ return to the Champions League turned out to be a disastrous one. They were knocked out from the group stage but due to a third-placed finish, they now have Europa League commitments which will test the Lilywhites’ squad depth.
It is really hard to keep pushing for a top-four finish and at the same time play in the Europa League unless you have a solid squad depth. Letting Wimmer go in January could prove to be costly for Spurs’ top-four ambitions. At the same time, Wimmer could also get his confidence back with playing time in the Europa League.
For the future
Kevin Wimmer is just 24 years of age and is an internationally recognised defender. He is still young and could still be a success at the club in the long run. We already stated the fact that he feels alright to play as a backup for Alderweireld and Vertonghen which is good only for the Lilywhites.
At the same time, he could really grow into a long-term success at the club and fill in Vertonhen’s boots in the future. Like Vertonghen, Wimmer is also a left-footed defender and considering the Belgian is 29 now, Wimmer has what it takes to replace his boots ideally after a few years’ time.
