Tottenham cannot afford to rely on Oliver Skipp this season

Oliver Skipp has a brilliant future ahead of him at Tottenham, but Spurs can’t trust him to star in big matches this season.

The question of the moment for Tottenham is whether or not January will bring additions to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. The Spurs gaffer is peddling the notion that youngsters like Oliver Skipp make purchases this month unnecessary. That’s simply not true.

That doesn’t mean Skipp shouldn’t be counted on to do big things at Tottenham in years to come. The 18-year-old midfielder has shown a lot of promise every time he’s stepped onto the pitch this season. His most recent performance at Tranmere was no exception. Skipp plays like a midfielder who’s been patrolling Tottenham’s midfield for a decade.

Skipp’s performance against the Rovers makes it a lot easier for Pochettino to inform the media that he believes it will be “difficult” for Tottenham to make any January purchases. He might be correct. Spurs certainly have a full squad and promising youngsters like Skipp are putting serious pressure on more established senior players. Daniel Levy would need to sell several current players and write a hefty cheque to improve Pochettino’s options.

That’s precisely what needs to be done. Tottenham have a golden opportunity to back Pochettino and push forward towards silverware this month. It’s easy to sit back and think that the club’s window for contention will stay open forever, but that’s foolish. The contract uncertainty surrounding both Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld is a sober reminder of just how tenuous Tottenham’s place near the top of the Premier League may be. Rumours connecting Pochettino with United add even more uncertainty about the club’s immediate future.

Specifically, an upgrade over Skipp and the rest of Tottenham’s current midfield options must be acquired. That may cost the club somewhere around £50 million. That’s a lot of money for a club in the midst of a massive stadium project. However, the cost could be significantly defrayed by offloading a few superfluous players.

That also happens to be the going rate for young, but established midfielders capable of making an immediate impact in the Premier League. It’s possible Spurs could find a quality option for less, but the club must be willing to spend at that level for the right player.

Skipp is going to play meaningful for Tottenham in the future, but he shouldn’t play much of it this season. He’s simply not ready to match the level of ambition Spurs should have at the moment.