After being left out to dry, Kyle Walker-Peters left Spurs for Southampton in search of greater first-team opportunities.
Mauricio Pochettino expected great things from Kyle Walker-Peters. That feeling was not shared by Jose Mourinho who wanted experience and maturity.
A loan deal to Southampton was made permanent in the summer transfer window with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg moving the other way.
Walker-Peters explained his decision to leave North London for St Mary’s Stadium. The defender admitted the harsh realities with Spurs and feels comfortable playing under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
“I am over the moon. At Tottenham, I found it hard to get a run of games, and now I felt after lockdown I was given that opportunity from Ralph [Hasenhuttl],” Football London quoted Walker-Peters.
“I was able to show the qualities I have and in a run of games, you get confidence and fitness, which is important.”
“So now, I am looking to kick on again. My spot in the team isn’t solidified and I need to keep performing and showing what I can do, and hopefully, it will be a great season for us.”
The 23-year-old defender hailed improvements made by the Saints after the lockdown’s culmination.
“I think we showed after lockdown that we’ve taken a big step in improving as a team and that’s what really made it clear for me, that was the team for me,” he added.
“I was in the team for those games and I felt confident and the team showed we had come a long way.”
Southampton finished 11 in Premier League, 7 points behind Tottenham in seventh place.