Tottenham right-back has been linked with a shock move to Spanish giants Barcelona this summer according to reports from the Evening Standard.
The Catalan club have failed to fill the void left by former right-back Dani Alves who left the club to join Serie A Champions Juventus last summer, and have seemingly identified England international Walker as a potential replacement for their departed Brazil star.
Should Walker leave his home in North London for the heralded land of the Nou Camp come the end of the season, the full-back would be only the second Englishman in history to don the famous red and blue shirt, after Gary Lineker who spent three years with the club between 1986 and 1989.
Bringing Walker to Spain would be no cheap deal for Luis Enrique’s side, however, with Walker having recently signed a new deal with Spurs and having been estimated to be worth around £30 million. That price is only likely to rise too, given the Englishman’s form this season.
So what if their star right back does opt for a move? Here are three reasons why Tottenham selling Kyle Walker might not actually be such a bad deal…
Over-Rated
Now I know I have just said that Kyle Walker is having perhaps his best season in a Tottenham shirt. I still stand by that statement. However, just because he is having his best season, that doesn’t mean he is not over-rated.
However, just because he is having his best season, that doesn’t mean he is not over-rated. As an attacking force, Walker is a real threat, and credit where credit is due, the full-back’s end product this season has been far better than it has been in previous seasons.
However, defensively, Walker remains a weak link. His keenness to get forward so often regularly leaves him exposed at the back, something which a number of teams know and exploit, notably Chelsea’s Pedro earlier in the season who ran Walker ragged.
At Barcelona, Walker is far less likely to be caught out defensively – so a move certainly makes sense from that perspective.
Transfer Value
If reports are to be believed, Tottenham could be looking to secure at least £30 million for Kyle Walker.
A fee in that region would make him possibly the most expensive full-back of all time, alongside the likes of Luke Shaw of Manchester United.
He’s certainly a good player, but that is an extraordinary amount of money to be talking about. If Tottenham are able to secure that sort of fee, they could look elsewhere and try and bring in a defender that is far more suited to a defensive style, which would be of huge benefit to Tottenham and Pochettino.
The Rise of Kieran Trippier
Even if Tottenham don’t sign a new defender with the funds created from his proposed sale, they still have a ready-made option already at the club.
While he has been kept out of the Spurs squad by Walker for the past few seasons, the former Burnley man has been mightily impressive when given the chance to shine, especially against Watford early into January where the defender was instrumental in a 4-1 victory over the Hornets.
Trippier is an effective attacker yet is also more defensively minded than Walker, offering more balance to the Spurs side when he is involved. He is a more than capable of filling the boots of Walker if he is indeed going to say goodbye to White Hart Lane.
