Tottenham drama: Kyle Walker left Spurs because of jealousy
Envy has driven Kyle Walker away from Tottenham
On the surface, Kyle Walker’s transfer from Tottenham to Manchester City comes off as a simple money grab. After all, Pep Guardiola’s club could very easily double the right back’s wages. Closer examination of the situation reveals a different motive. Walker sought to leave Spurs because of jealousy.
England’s first choice right back officially moved to City after the club agreed to pay Tottenham a record transfer fee of somewhere around £50 million. The big money move has split opinion among the Spurs fan base. Some are pleased with the massive fee while others are criticizing Daniel Levy for selling Walker to a league rival.
I’m not overly bothered by his departure, but I do find his timing very odd. Tottenham have been on the ascent under Mauricio Pochettino and finished second in the Premier League standings last season. They finished ahead of the team that Walker was so desperate to join.
Initially, I believed Walker just wanted to make more money. Spurs are infamous for their rigid wage scale. City are under no such restrictions. They’ve immediately signed Walker to a new five-year contract that will make him even richer than before. That explanation seems too hollow though.
It caused me to carefully consider why a player in his prime would want to leave a club like Tottenham. Walker was a big part of Tottenham’s present and future. It’s a very odd time for a player to simply decide to up and leave for greener pastures.
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My first thought was that perhaps he and Pochettino really did have a falling out. It’s clear the two didn’t see eye-to-eye as last season wound down. Starting Kieran Trippier in some of the club’s biggest matches certainly irritated Walker. Perhaps he just wanted a fresh start under a new manager. Guardiola certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice.
A relatively minor managerial conflict doesn’t seem like enough motivation to force a big move either. Walker isn’t a young schoolboy prone to rash decisions. His decision to leave Spurs had to be for a more substantial reason.
Then it hit me, Walker’s desire to leave Tottenham boils down to one of the world’s oldest sins. He simply became jealous of his younger, more talented teammates. He likely feels that he should be getting the same level of adulation as players like Harry Kane and Dele Alli. That dynamic duo has quickly shot past Walker in the minds of well…everyone. There’s no denying they have significantly more talent than England’s top right back.
That isn’t an insult to Walker, instead it’s a testament to just how good Kane and Dele really are. The mercurial stardom of two young starlets had to eat away at Walker’s insides. He’d toiled for years to become a respectable Premier League starter. Kane and Alli blew past him to become global superstars in record time.
What does a player do when that happens? They find a way to get one over on their more talented teammates. Walker’s way of doing that was to move to a richer club and make more money. Now he can claim superiority over Kane and Alli in his own mind. In terms of on-pitch compensation he’s quite right.
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Of course he’ll never reach the same heights as an individual player as either Kane or Dele. They’ve surpassed him quickly and decisively. Walker will have to settle for his monetary advantage. It’s the only way he could surpass Tottenham’s prized possessions.