Tottenham’s five top transfer needs to address this summer

1. Right back

Kieran Trippier is a flat track bully. Against teams that Tottenham should comfortably beat he’s a wonderful right back to have. The English international can punish the opposition with deadly crosses into the box.

Unfortunately, against elite opposition his lack of size and/or pace becomes horribly exposed. He was a turnstile against Manchester City. Watching Kyle Walker terrorize Spurs on one end of the pitch and Trippier be terrorized on the other was a real nightmare for Pochettino.

Unless you want to see Kyle Walker-Peters start against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City next season, Tottenham must purchase a new right back this summer. They need to secure a partner for Trippier. That is, Spurs must acquire a new version of Kyle Walker.

The new right back doesn’t need to be Trippier’s equal in terms of crossing in the final third. He needs to be his superior in terms of defending in Spurs’ own defensive third. Pochettino must find a talented enough defensive player to deploy against elite attackers. Trippier may not like that reality, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

Next: Tottenham defenders are on thin ice with Pochettino

For me, finding a new right back to challenge Trippier has to be Tottenham’s number one priority in the summer. It won’t change the complexion of their matches against Stoke and the like, but it could drastically enhance Spurs ability to compete against high-end Premier League and Champions League competition. Tottenham must dare to do better at right back.