Tottenham Hotspur could be hampered by UEFA rules if they compete in Europe. Bringing back Kyle Walker-Peters could be the solution to Spurs’ woes.
Tottenham’s goal this season is to qualify for Europe. After an unsuccessful campaign under Antonio Conte last season, which saw them fail to qualify for Europe this season, Spurs are now focusing on the league. Despite not playing in Europe this season, the club is determined to be competitive in Europe next season.
First and foremost, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League is a priority. Currently in fifth place in the league, Spurs are in a three-way battle for fourth place with Aston Villa and Manchester United. Having been knocked out of cup competitions this season, Spurs don’t play a lot of games, so they can put their extra energy into the league.
However, even if Spurs achieve their goal, there is a possibility that they could be hampered by UEFA’s regulations. “If Spurs do qualify for European competition, chairman Daniel Levy could be forced to agree a £30 million deal,” says the Express. Tottenham manager Anzhi Postecoglou could find himself in an awkward situation under UEFA’s rules.”
The UEFA rule that the media is referring to is the one that requires teams to keep a certain number of homegrown players on their roster. Similar to the home-grown rule, which generally requires teams to roster players under the age of 21 who have been trained in the same country for three years, UEFA requires teams to have four players on their roster who have been trained in the same country for three years.
The problem is that Spurs have only three players who meet this requirement. “Currently, only Oliver Skip, Brandon Austin, and Alfie Whiteman fall into this category, so Spurs are one short,” the Express reports. “Troy Parrott and Max Robson will be eligible next season, but there’s no guarantee they’ll stay at the club. The same goes for Japhet Tanganga.”
The solution is to bring back Walker Peters. “Levy could be forced to bring back a player who played for the club this summer if Postecoglou leads Spurs back to Europe,” says the Express. Rumors are growing that he could be reunited with former Spurs player Walker Peters, whose signing would help Spurs meet UEFA regulations.”
The former Tottenham youth product failed to establish himself at Spurs and moved to Southampton ahead of the 2020-21 season. Despite not being given much of a chance at Spurs, Walker-Peters has risen through the ranks at Southampton since he began to gain more experience.
He has become one of the top fullbacks in the Premier League (PL) and has continued to show good form even after the team’s relegation. He has started all 33 of Southampton’s games in the English Football League (EFL) Championship (second tier) this season, scoring two goals and providing two assists to help boost the club’s promotion challenge. Southampton’s current position is fourth.
The way Tottenham could sign Walker Peters is simpler than you might think: they have a buy-back clause. The buy-back clause allows the player”s original club to buy him back if they pay a certain amount of money, which makes the decision to sign him easier for Spurs.
“Tottenham are believed to have inserted a £30m buy-back clause into Walker-Peters’ contract, which is in its final year, so they could sign him cheaper if Southampton fail to win promotion,” the Express reported, adding that Spurs could sign Walker-Peters for less even if they didn’t trigger the clause.