Tottenham Hotspur have done quite well to solve their issues in midfield by securing the services of two in-demand midfielders in Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso. However, the Lilywhites didn’t sign a single player at the back, despite the departure of key player Kieran Trippier.
The English international moved to Atletico Madrid earlier this summer, and his departure has left a considerable void in the right-back department. In this article, we will mainly be assessing the current options Mauricio Pochettino has at his disposal as potential replacements for Trippier.
Serge Aurier: The experience one
Aurier is by far the most experienced of the three options Pochettino could employ in the right-back slot at the moment. However, since moving to North London back in 2017, the Ivorian has barely played for Tottenham, mustering a total of only 25 combined appearances in the last two seasons.
Aurier is no doubt a quality fullback, who is capable of providing quality on the right-back position. But, his poor injury record could be problematic for the club, especially in such a long, strenuous schedule of European football. The 26-year-old suffered three different injuries last season that kept him out for a total of 100 days.
Hence, Aurier shouldn’t be considered as the desired replacement for Trippier. He is, however, a quality individual and should do a good job as a backup.
Juan Foyth: The risky option
Many fans and experts fancy youngster Juan Foyth to come out as the ideal replacement for Trippier this season. The Argentine ace showed a lot of promise during the 2018/19 campaign and is tipped to make his breakthrough in the Premier League.
That being said, Foyth is mainly a centre-back by trade. Although he has relatively good composure with the ball, he is prone to making errors, which means he is not yet ready to take on the mantle of regular first-team football, especially in an unnatural position.
Kyle Walker-Peters: The curious option
Kyle Walker-Peters remains Pochettino’s last resort should both Foyth and Aurier fail to live up to the expectations. Unlike Foyth, Walker-Peters is a fully-fledged right-back and is capable of making useful offensive runs into the final third.
However, the English defender has minimal experience of playing at the highest level of football. He has notably made only one Premier League appearance since being promoted to the Tottenham first-team in 2017. It thus remains doubtful as to whether or not Walker-Peters is a viable option for Pochettino at right back in this new season.
Verdict
Tottenham Hotspur are in desperate need of a new right-back given the injury-prone nature of Aurier, error-prone nature of Foyth and the lack of experience of Walker-Peters. There won’t be any shortage of options in the market, but the Lilywhites should consider a move for Ryan Sessegnon in January, after failing to complete a deal this summer.
