OPINION
Tottenham should forget about their reported pursuit in defender Ricardo Pereira and put their faith in emerging talent Kyle Walker-Peters.
Spurs are yet to bring in a new right-back this summer following the sale of Kyle Walker to Manchester City and it’s unclear on who will rival Kieran Trippier for a starting XI position.
The Mail have reported on their transfer news column that Spurs representatives jetted out on a scouting mission last weekend to watch Porto full-back Pereira.
The 23-year-old is a highly-rated talent and has established himself as a regular for the Portuguese giants.
He is someone that would arrive at the north London club with good quality and could provide competition for Trippier, but there is a better solution.
Mauricio Pochettino should use academy graduate Walker-Peters as a full first-team member in the new campaign after he impressed on his debut against Newcastle.
Spurs do still need to strengthen their squad and the money saved on Pereira could be used more effectively elsewhere.
Walker-Peters made his Premier League bow in the 2-0 win over Newcastle and the young right-back made a seamless transition to the senior set-up.
The 20-year-old should be allowed the chance to enjoy a breakout season and act as understudy to the very talented Trippier.
Walker-Peters showed in the summer he can rise to the big occasion by helping England’s Under-20s side win the World Cup.
Spurs fans may be concerned about the lack of experience at senior level, but Pochettino has shown he is the perfect mentor to help the club’s youngsters integrate to the top flight.
Walker-Peters has the attacking attributes to suit Pochettino’s system and the defensive side of his game will improve playing alongside Toby Alderweireld.
Harry Kane and Harry Winks are two of the stars to become first teamers after developing from the academy and Spurs should bank on Walker-Peters becoming the next in that production line.