Kieran Trippier has arguably been England’s best player at the World Cup. That’s precisely why Tottenham may cash in on the talented right back.
No English player has raised his stock more during this year’s World Cup than right back Kieran Trippier. He’s been one of Gareth Southgate’s best players and a number of clubs have taken notice. In fact, Manchester United have become so enamored with the Tottenham star that they’re considering making a bid for him this summer.
Bookies believe Jose Mourinho’s club are the most likely club to steal the Spurs star away from North London this summer. The odds are resting at a relatively modest mark of 5/2, but it still brings up an interesting question. Should Mauricio Pochettino’s club even consider parting ways with their starting right back?
The answer is yes, but only if they can extract an astronomical bid from United. The reality of Trippier’s play at the World Cup is that he’ll never be more valuable than he is at this exact moment in time. Spurs do have the opportunity to sell Trippier at the absolute zenith of his transfer value.
There is some appeal to that idea. Trippier wasn’t all that special for Spurs during the Premier League season. His Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.04 in 24 league appearances depicts him as a good fullback. In sharp contrast, his rating of 8.04 at the World Cup makes him out to be an absolute superstar.
The unfortunate truth for Tottenham is that his performance in the league is probably closer to the mean than his starring role for England. That doesn’t make him a bad player by any means, but he’s not a superstar. If United want to pay a superstar fee for his services, then Daniel Levy and company should at least hear them out.
For the record, we’re not talking about a pedestrian transfer fee here. Spurs shouldn’t contemplate letting Trippier leave for anything less than £50 million pounds. In fact, the club should attempt to start the bidding at an even higher number based on Trippier’s World Cup exploits.
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Ultimately, it’s very unlikely Pochettino will part with his starting right back for the second season in a row. Expect Trippier to play for Tottenham again next season. That might not be the ideal outcome for Spurs though. Cashing in on Trippier this summer could be the best long-term move for the club.