Tottenham fans have been accused of “re-writing history” following Kyle Walker’s record-breaking move to Manchester City by ESPN FC’s Spurs correspondent.
Dan Kilpatrick, who covers Tottenham for the football site, took to Twitter to deliver his verdict on the transfer that has got all fans of the London giants talking.
Walker joined City on Friday for a fee that his agents Base Soccer claimed is a world-record fee for a defender and the highest ever for an English player, with the price worth up to £54million.
Spurs fans have claimed they already have the perfect replacement for the right-back in his fellow England international Kieran Trippier, who was preferred to Walker at the end of last season.
Kilpatrick argued on his personal Twitter account that the White Hart Lane faithful are delivering a skewed version of the events of the last two seasons in which Mauricio Pochettino’s side challenged strongly for the title before finishing third in 2015-16 and second 12 months later.
#thfc Spurs fans already rewriting history re Walker & Trippier. Walker better & first choice for 2yrs. Missed a few games after head turned
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) July 14, 2017
#thfc By selling, Spurs are helping a rival close the gap. Given Walker’s fitness issues & Poch’s magic with FBs, it’s not disastrous
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) July 14, 2017
#thfc But everyone else in the league has been terrified of Rose & Walker for last 2 years & Trippier is a downgrade. It won’t be the same.
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) July 14, 2017
Kilpatrick claimed Walker’s raids on the right flank offered the perfect complement to the equally pacy Danny Rose on the left side, with opponents “terrified” of their combined threat.
He insisted that Trippier, 26, is an undoubted “downgrade” on Walker despite the senior man’s fitness issues that have so often prevented him playing three matches a week.
Tottenham are reportedly in the market for a new right-back but it has been said that efforts to prise Ricardo Pereira from Porto are now dead in the water.