Speaking recently on a video posted on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold discussed the future of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp and what it could mean for Spurs teammate Harry Winks.
A product of the Spurs academy, Skipp made his first-team debut as an 18-year-old in a 3-1 victory over West Ham United in the Carabao Cup back in 2018 and has made a total of 23 appearances for the club so far in his career.
At the beginning of this season, the £6.48 million-rated midfielder was sent on loan to Championship side Norwich City, where he has so far made 11 appearances in the second tier, making an average of 2.3 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 58 passes per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.86 – ranking him as the club’s eighth-best performer in the league.
In contrast, 24-year-old Winks has failed to nail down his place in Jose Mourinho’s first-team plans despite starting 26 league games last season, having been afforded just three starts at the beginning of the current Premier League campaign.
England U21 international Skipp was one topic of conversation on a recent video posted by Gold on YouTube, in which the journalist raved about the midfielder, as well as suggesting that Winks’ place in the squad could be placed under threat by the emerging talent.
He said: “Skipp’s gone on and absolutely smashed it for Norwich, the fans love him there. People were asking, ‘Will Spurs sign another central midfielder? Will they sign another player to back up Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg?’ I think it’s Oliver Skipp.
“Oliver Skipp is proving exactly at Norwich what they wanted to see from him with regular performances. He’s bulking up – if you have a look at him, he’s got a bit of muscle on him. I think he comes back and I think he takes on that role, and I think he will play a lot of football.
“We talk about Winks, I think Skipp is potentially his biggest challenger. I do think people looking at big, expensive, foreign midfield signings – just look at Oliver Skipp. Mourinho said it himself, this kid’s going to be the future Tottenham Hotspur captain – you don’t say that about a player who isn’t coming back to be a big part of your midfield.”
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TIF Thoughts on Alasdair Gold’s comments regarding Oliver Skipp…
From Gold’s comments, it is clear that the journalist has very high hopes for the future of Skipp at Spurs, and seems to believe that the 20-year-old can provide Hojbjerg and Winks with cover and even competition for a place in the centre of midfield for Tottenham.
And, considering how well Skipp has performed during his loan spell at Norwich thus far, and the fact that midfielder is still just 20 years of age, if he can continue the level of progress and development he has shown so far in his career, in our opinion, it would not be surprising to see the midfielder become a regular part of the Tottenham team in the not-so-distant future.