Kyle Walker-Peters makes Tottenham transfer claim as senior England debut awaits
Kyle Walker-Peters insists that he made the right decision to quit Tottenham to join Southampton ahead of a potential England senior debut on Saturday.
The 24-year-old has had an impressive campaign for Saints, being used as a right-back and left-back to show his versatility, while also notching three goals. That form, plus injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James, saw him called up by Gareth Southgate for the first time.
He is expected to make his Three Lions debut in one of the two upcoming international friendlies against Switzerland or Ivory Coast at Wembley.
And Walker-Peters believes the move to St Mary’s has made all the difference.
The young defender states that he had to quit north London for the sake of his career, despite loving the club.
Reflecting on the move, Walker-Peters said: “I definitely didn’t doubt myself. I’m quite confident and I had good belief in myself. I felt I had to go somewhere else and establish myself, that was the main thing was the frequency of games, if the opportunities weren’t going to come [at Tottenham].
“I think I made the right choice in going to Southampton and getting the frequency of games. Ultimately, the most important thing was playing games and getting regular minutes. Yes, making mistakes, but learning from them and that’s the only way you can get better.
“That was the main thing, I then established myself in that Southampton team. Then that’s when I started looking towards getting into the England squad.”
Limited chances for Walker-Peters
Walker-Peters made 12 Premier League appearances for Spurs before leaving, with 24 appearances in total.
However, he knew that three years of limited chances in north London gave him no choice.
He added: “I looked at it as an opportunity firstly to play regular football. I didn’t think about getting back to a top six club.
“I thought about establishing myself in this Southampton team, show everyone you can be a Premier League footballer and then whatever happens, happens. I’m really enjoying myself at Southampton and I think that is showing this season and the season before. Now I have done well enough to receive a call-up for the England senior team. So again, I think I made the right decision.
“In football, those are the risks you have got to take. Sometimes you have just got to do it. I had been at Tottenham since ten, but to be a Premier League footballer, you need to play regular games.”
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