Report: Tottenham in talks with England U21 international to extend his contract at the club

Fullback is one of the positions that Tottenham Hotspur will need to address in this summer’s transfer window, but there’s at least one player on the existing roster that Spurs want to keep around. According to ESPN, Tottenham are currently in talks with combo-fullback Kyle Walker-Peters to extend his contract at the club, despite signing professionally only last August.

KWP has quietly broken into the first team this season after an impressive showing at the U20 World Cup this past summer. He started only one match in the Premier League this season — the 2-0 away win over Newcastle on opening weekend, a game in which he won the Man of the Match award. Since then his minutes have mostly been confined to the cups, including the 6-1 FA Cup replay win over Rochdale in which he scored his first professional goal for the club.

He’s well behind in the pecking order, but Pochettino reportedly really likes him. He’s nominally a right back, but is comfortable on either flank, and has taken opportunity of the rare minutes he’s been given this season.

If Spurs are keen to make sure he stays around, that’s a vote of confidence in his ability, and could mean that he could play an increased role in next year’s team. There are already rumors that Danny Rose could be on his way out the door this summer, and having another home-grown English player that could slot into the team to replace him would be extremely useful.

I don’t think Kyle is ready to immediately become a starting fullback for a Champions League caliber side, but he’s only 21 and has shown signs that he has the tools to compete at the Premier League level. I’d be perfectly okay keeping KWP around as cover, even as we acknowledge that the existing fullback corps needs a pretty big upgrade.