It’s rare that a player’s only two starts will come on the first and last day of the season, but Kyle Walker-Peters did just that for Tottenham. The young right-back made his first Premier League start in a 2-0 win over Newcastle back in August before featuring from the off in the entertaining 5-4 win over Leicester. He impressed in both matches - he was named the man of the match for his performance at St. James’ Park - and was duly rewarded for his efforts with a new contract, less than 24 hours after the 2017/18 campaign had drawn to a close.
Now tied down until 2021, it’s a mark of how highly rated the 21-year-old is in north London. He may have struggled to nail down a regular starting spot, over the duration of the campaign, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino favouring Kieran Trippier or summer arrival Serge Aurier in defence, yet Walker-Peters, in his sporadic outings, did his chances of more game time in the coming campaign no harm.
Against Leicester in particular, the youngster registered his only two league assists of the campaign, while only creator-in-chief Christian Eriksen (4) and attacking winger Lucas Moura (3) made more key passes than Walker-Peters (2) of all Tottenham players in the victory over the Foxes, as per WhoScored.com. He completed more dribbles (3) than any other player in the win, with his attacking input earning him the deserved adulation for his role in the victory.
It’s just desserts for Walker-Peters, who has had to wait for his time to prove he warrants a more prominent role in the Tottenham setup. The departure of Kyle Walker for Manchester City suggested the youngster would enjoy ample gametime in his bid to develop accordingly and despite links with a host of right-backs, it seemed as though Walker-Peters would be Trippier’s understudy. The deadline day arrival of Aurier from PSG, then, will have been disappointing, but Pochettino’s need for experience meant the young full-back was forced to wait.
Given Spurs’ track record with developing youngsters under Pochettino, though, Walker-Peters would’ve known he’d have his opportunities, albeit sporadically, across the campaign. It’s a small sample size, of course, but with Aurier’s struggles to adapt to both his new team and English football as a whole, Walker-Peters will see the coming campaign as a chance to provide stiff competition for the right-back spot.
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That being said, it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves. At 21 years of age, Walker-Peters is still in the infancy of his career. There are still rough edges that need smoothing, with that defensive side to Walker-Peters’ game still requiring serious work if he is to develop accordingly and fully realise his immense potential. However, working under a boss like Pochettino, he couldn’t be better placed to maintain that upward trajectory.
The Argentine is a workaholic and perfectionist and his track record with developing full-backs speaks volumes. He moulded Kyle Walker into a £50m right-back, while Danny Rose has flourished under Pochettino. Had it not been for a serious knee injury, Rose would still be first choice, but Ben Davies’ growth under the Spurs boss - another full-back improved by Pochettino - has been so good that the Welshman is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
Walker-Peters, and to some extent Aurier, will have witnessed that development under the watchful eye of Pochettino and been reminded of his ability to improve full-backs - the 46-year-old is dubbed The Full-Back Whisperer, after all! The former will now hope next season is a breakthrough one at Spurs, with Walker-Peters boasting the tools of the trade to succeed for the north London side. He may need refining, but given the occasional sub-par performance by Trippier and Aurier over the duration of the season, there is no reason why Walker-Peters can seriously challenge the pair for a regular starting berth next term.
