In a recent tweet, The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath mentioned that Everton made an enquiry for Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters last month. However, the Toffees are not the only club showing interest in the English defender as Tottenham Hotspur could also compete with them for the player’s services.
#Everton made an enquiry for Kyle Walker-Peters in final days of the window. #SaintsFC were not entertaining any deal. Also on ex-club #Spurs radar before they moved for Emerson Royal
Window verdict from @JBurtTelegraph herehttps://t.co/lnUs7H1lIz
— Mike McGrath (@mcgrathmike) September 1, 2021
Walker-Peters’ Decent Form At St. Mary’s Stadium
Walker-Peters had a solid season at the south coast of England in the previous campaign as he continued to prove himself as Ralph Hasenhüttl’s first-choice right-back. The London-born defensive ace appeared in 35 matches for the Saints last season, picking up three assists and securing five yellow cards in multiple competitions.
The 24-year-old caught the eye by averaging 2.8 tackles, 1.3 interceptions, 1.7 clearances, 0.6 shots, 0.5 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. He was even excellent when distributing the ball in the final third after completing 80.9% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Walker-Peters is only going to get better in the coming seasons when he hits the peak stage of his playing career. Hence, he could be a massive coup for the Toffees if they decide to launch a move for him in the future.
Should The Toffees Move In For Walker-Peters In January?
Walker-Peters loves a tackle and can time his challenges well to secure the ball back for his team inside his half. He is a very good defender in a 1v1 situation because of his pace which also helps him make some promising runs down the right flank. Walker-Peters can even shoot the ball with a lot of venom from long range but needs to be more accurate if he wants to score a few goals in top-flight football.
The English full-back doesn’t take too many risks with his clearances and can whip in some inviting crosses into the opposition’s penalty box. He is usually quite careful when passing the ball to his teammates but needs to add more goals to his game if he wants to be a success story in English football.
Walker-Peters is already good enough to serve as a decent successor to Seamus Coleman, who is entering the twilight years of his playing career with the Toffees. Plus, we can expect him to enhance the overall quality of Rafael Benitez’s first team. Therefore, the Merseyside outfit would be wise to move in for the Saints right-back so that they can bring him to Goodison Park when the transfer window reopens in January.
