Premier League

Walker reveals why he had to leave Tottenham

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Image for Walker reveals why he had to leave Tottenham

Kyle Walker has revealed that he needed to leave Tottenham as he wanted to win trophies and work with Pep Guardiola.

The 27-year-old joined Manchester City in the summer, after they paid Spurs £53million for his services, according to The Guardian, making him the world’s most expensive defender in the process.

Walker opted to open up about the reasons why he left Tottenham, despite regularly featuring for the club, ahead of Manchester City playing Arsenal in the League Cup final on Sunday.

In what amounted to a subtle dig at Mauricio Pochettino, Walker explained why it as a particular thrill to come under the guidance of City boss Guardiola.

“Spurs will always have a place in my heart, they gave me a chance to play Premier League football and I’ll be forever indebted to them,” revealed Walker in an interview with Sky Sports.

“But it was something I needed to do for myself, the manager told me of his plans for the season and I wanted to be a part of it.

“Working under Pep Guardiola, a chance like that doesn’t come along too often, that’s no disrespect to Mauricio Pochettino, but the people that Pep has worked with grow as players.

“Tottenham were in a fantastic position when I left, they’d finished second twice, and people might ask why I left then and it was kind of a gamble, but it has paid off now.

The right-back spent six-years at Spurs and made 229 appearances for the club, but failed to win any trophies during his time at Tottenham.

Walker revealed his desire to win silverware and referred to how he had been left disappointed by Spurs’ failure to win any honours.

“For me, I want to win stuff,” admitted Walker.

“I hate losing, and to be with Tottenham for the number of years I was and not pick up anything was disappointing.

“We were very close for two seasons, with Leicester and Chelsea, but we just fell short and I don’t want that to happen here at City.”

OPINION

Walker’s comments will not go down well with Tottenham supporters as he his statement seems to suggest that he felt he needed to leave in order to win trophies. The right-back’s decision will no doubt lead to him finally lifting a trophy this season, as Manchester City look destined to win the Premier League. However, Spurs could technically still end up ending their trophy drought this season, with them having a great shot of lifting the FA Cup. After Manchester City suffered a shock exit from the competition courtesy of Wigan, Tottenham look like having a clear path to lifting the trophy.

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