Soccer Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - October 29, 2022 Tottenham Hotspur's Oliver Skipp reacts REUTERS/Hannah Mckay EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp was ‘open’ to a loan exit from the club in January but manager Antonio Cone refused to sanction it.
The Lowdown: Spurs seal exit deals…
The Premier League top-four chasers sealed exit deals for many players near the end of last month’s transfer window, including much-needed temporary moves for both Djed Spence and Bryan Gil.
Matt Doherty also departed the club permanently after Spurs used up their FIFA allocation of eight players on loan abroad in one season.
Reports also claim Spurs failed to find a new club for young defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott, who saw his proposed move to Swindon Town collapse at the eleventh hour due to paperwork issues.
The Latest: Skipp was ‘open’ to leaving Spurs…
According to reliable journalist Alasdair Gold, writing for football.london, midfielder Skipp was also ‘open’ to leaving the club on loan last month to get minutes under his belt.
However, as Conte seeks to guide Spurs to a second-successive finish in the top four, the Italian refused to sanction that possibility.
It is believed Tottenham’s manager rates the player highly and was wary of leaving himself short of numbers in midfield.
The Verdict: Right call?
Tipped to become a ‘future Spurs captain‘, Conte is right to rate Skipp highly, who has emerged as one of the N17 academy’s brightest gems of the last few years.
From a logical perspective, the former Chelsea head coach made a clever call not to green-light a mid-season exit for Skipp as just one or two injuries in midfield could leave Spurs desperately short.
However, from a player perspective, it’s perhaps gutting for the 22-year-old who has played just eight league games this campaign.
Skipp has previously shined out on loan, particularly at Norwich, where he stood out as one of the Canaries’ key players during their 2020/2021 promotion push.
Called a ‘valuable asset’ by Lilywhites pundit John Wenham, the Englishman will be hoping to be used more often over the second half of 2022/2023 as he has proved himself to be a brilliant player.
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