What proved to certainly be a fruitful move for Kyle Walker has turned out to be problematic for Tottenham Hotspur across their backline.
The right-back departed the club back in 2017 for a sum of £45million after Mauricio Pochettino decided to cash in, and the Englishman has certainly reaped the rewards of the transfer. Since his arrival at the Etihad, Walker has enjoyed tremendous achievements, including two Premier League titles and an FA Cup win.
However, it hasn’t been rosy for both parties. Since the 29-year-old left London, Spurs have increasingly let in more goals as they struggle to plug the defensive leak. In Walker’s final season with the club, Tottenham finished second in the Premier League and conceded just 26 goals, less than champions Chelsea and the lowest amount in the entire league.
But following his departure, defensive issues presented themselves and each campaign since Walker’s absence has seen Spurs let in more and more goals. The 2017/18 season – the first without their right-back – saw Spurs concede 36 goals, followed by 39 goals in 2018/19 and their worst yet this campaign having already let in 40 goals.
Despite veteran internationals Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, as well as replacement right-back Serge Aurier, Spurs can’t seem to stop leaking goals. Meanwhile, Walker has contributed to Man City’s extremely low tally of conceded goals since he joined, including their +72 goal difference last season after conceding just 23 times.
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In fact, City’s No.2 has registered an average pass rate of 88.9% which is much higher than his usurper Aurier (78.3%). Walker also averages more passes per match (67.5) than the Ivorian (37.7) – (via WhoScored).
Although Tottenham made a tidy £39m profit on the Sheffield-born ace, the repercussions have been costly with the London side struggling to get near the second-place finish they managed in 2017. They are currently having a torrid season, sitting eighth in the league table, just two points ahead of Burnley and Crystal Palace.