According to Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to hold a meeting with chairman Daniel Levy on Friday regarding many issues surrounding the club. They are expected to discuss a lot of things, including the idea of offering a new deal to Oliver Skipp. The youngster has improved a lot and could be rewarded with a contract extension.
Skipp’s promising 2018/19 campaign
A product of the Tottenham youth academy, Skipp was initially a member of the reserve team before he was promoted to the senior side last summer. He mostly kept playing for the reserve side during the first phase of the campaign, notably making five appearances in Premier League 2.
However, Skipp, along with Moussa Sissoko, was one of two players, who benefitted from Tottenham’s midfield crisis during the second half of the campaign. Indeed, the Lilywhites, at some point, were without the services of Harry Winks, Victor Wanyam and Eric Dier through injury while Mousa Dembele left the club.
As a result, Skipp was given a few opportunities in the first-team. He didn’t disappoint either and ended up making eight league appearances, during which Spurs retained a winning percentage of 87%.
A bright prospect for the future
Tottenham have settled their midfield issues by securing the services of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso this summer. That means Skipp’s chances of making a breakthrough have reduced, to an extent.
At the same time, however, Dier has struggled to make a mark, notably failing to make a single Premier League appearance so far. Spurs, should, in fact, entertain the idea of letting the midfielder leave the club, which should pave the way for Skipp to play a more prominent role in the first-team.
Dier’s departure would make Skipp the only other out and out option in the holding midfield role, provided Wanyama leaving the club in January. And at the age of just 18, the youngster has the time as well as the quality that could be important in his bid to become a top-class midfielder in the coming years.
Additionally, manager Pochettino is known for his proficiency for nurturing English talents. Skipp, to that end, fits the mould well. Therefore, the Lilywhites should definitely look to tie down the youngster to a new long-term contract, as a reward of his impressive rise in the first-team within the past 12 months.
