When Ben Davies was signed from Swansea in the summer of 2014, many a spurs fan would have predicted he wouldn’t take long to surpass the faltering Danny Rose and cement his place as Spurs’ first choice left-back. Instead though, the Welshman’s presence seemed to spur on Rose, who appeared to improve week-on-week and became one of the side’s most consistent performers by the season’s end.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the back four, Kyle Walker continued to frustrate and split opinion. A talented athlete he was, but many doubted that he had the awareness and mental capacity to fulfil the potential he showed in his breakout season in 2011/12 where he won PFA Young Player of the Year.
This doubt was compounded first in January when Tottenham sought to obtain the services of American right-back DeAndre Yedlin – 6 months earlier than planned – and then in the summer with the signing of Kieran Trippier. These two signings led many to speculate whether Walker was the man Mauricio Pochettino wanted defending his right flank or would he prefer a more disciplined, consistent performer such as the aforementioned Trippier?
Three months into the season, however, and it is perfectly evident the effect Trippier has had on the team. Now, anyone that has watched Spurs’ Europa League campaign this year will know that Trippier has been less than impressive – far from it. The real success in his signing instead lies in the form of Walker himself who is currently enjoying one of his best runs of form since he broke into the side four seasons ago. So it therefore seems that much like Davies pushed on Rose, Trippier has helped to significantly improve Walker and consequently his signing may prove to be one of the savviest pieces of business Tottenham have done in a long while.
