‘He was the difference’ – Trippier admits he was baffled when Spurs sold teammate
Former Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier has claimed that letting Mousa Dembele go in 2019 was the main reason behind Spurs’ decline over recent years. After blowing hot and cold in his first couple of seasons following his move from Fulham, Dembele finally managed to nail down a place in the Tottenham starting eleven after Mauricio […]
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Former Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier has claimed that letting Mousa Dembele go in 2019 was the main reason behind Spurs’ decline over recent years.
After blowing hot and cold in his first couple of seasons following his move from Fulham, Dembele finally managed to nail down a place in the Tottenham starting eleven after Mauricio Pochettino took over at North London.
The Belgian evolved into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League under Pochettino and was a crucial part of the side that challenged for the title in 2015/16 and the 2016/17 seasons.
While Tottenham did reach the Champions League final just a few months on from Dembele’s move to Guangzhou City in January of 2019, the European run that campaign papered over their struggles in the league.
Pochettino was sacked by Spurs just a few months into the 2019/20 campaign and the North Londoners have not finished in the top four since.
Trippier has admitted that he was left baffled that Spurs sold Dembele when they did.
When asked about why Spurs have struggled recently, the Newcastle man told The Athletic: “For me, the big one was selling Mousa Dembele that January. I think I can speak on behalf of the players who were there.
“In the dressing room, he was an unbelievable person and all the lads loved him, but on the pitch, he was the kind of player who would make a couple of per cent difference. That’s what wins you things.
“It baffled me that they would sell him. I know he was going to be a free (transfer) in the summer, but with the things we were challenging for, I would have kept him there and then let him go. He was the difference between winning a trophy or not.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There is no doubt that we have not been the same team since Dembele left. However, it is unfair to blame the club for their decision to sell the Belgian.
It was pretty evident that Dembele wanted to move to China at that point for one final payday, particularly given that he had his fair share of injuries by that time.
The Spurs hierarchy backed Pochettino’s insistence on singing Ndombele in the summer of 2020 (The Athletic) and the Frenchman was supposed to be Dembele’s long-term replacement.
Unfortunately, things have not worked out for the Frenchman in North London and Tottenham are still paying for the mistakes they made during that window.
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The post ‘He was the difference’ – Trippier admits he was baffled when Spurs sold teammate appeared first on Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.