DeAndre Yedlin’s short Tottenham Hotspur tenure is nearly over. ESPN is reporting today that Yedlin is Tyneside right now and will undergo a medical at Newcastle ahead of a permanent transfer. The fee is expected to be in the realm of £5m.
If you’re an American Tottenham supporter who joined our lovely band thanks to Yedlin’s signing in 2014, this is of course hugely disappointing. Heck, even if you’re not it’s a little saddening. Yedlin, 23, never really got a chance to succeed at Tottenham, especially after the club signed Kieran Trippier from Burnley last summer. He spent the year on loan at Sunderland where he made a remarkable improvement, but for whatever reason he’s not in the plans of Mauricio Pochettino.
We’ve said it before, but despite going to the Championship, Newcastle is a pretty nice place for him to land, as they’re considered strong favorites to promote again this season. With Toon having reached an agreement to sell Daryl Janmaat to Watford for £7.5m, Yedlin immediately slots into the side and will become a regular starter. That’s what he needs to realize his potential, and he won’t get it at Spurs. He’ll also play for Champions League-winning manager Rafael Benitez, which still feels weird to say when referring to a team in England’s second tier.
It’s a bummer, but what can you do? My only caution to DeAndre is this: you had a great loan at Sunderland, but you’re signing for Newcastle. I advise extra security.