Graham Roberts has offered a damning verdict about Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters.
What’s the talk?
Former Tottenham player Graham Roberts has stated that Kyle Walker-Peters will never go higher than playing for Southampton.
Roberts believes that the full-back has found his level at St. Mary’s and will not progress into being a player good enough to play for Spurs, having left the London club to join the Saints.
He told Football FanCast:
“I think that’s his level. We’ve got a player who’s played at Barcelona so he’s a top-notch player, but I thought Kyle Walker-Peters did very well at Southampton.
Will Walker-Peters progress further?
Yes
No
“But don’t forget, we scored five goals down there against them. He’s had a decent season but, for me, I think that’s his level, I think Southampton is as high as he will go.”
Frustration
These comments from Roberts will frustrate Southampton supporters as they suggest that Walker-Peters will not improve at all in the coming years. He does not believe that the young defender will step up from his current level, which seems a particularly harsh verdict on a player who is only 24 and has already proven himself in the Premier League.
Walker-Peters started 30 of Southampton’s 38 league matches last term and averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.84. He made an impressive 4.1 tackles and interceptions combined per game, showing off his defensive qualities for the Saints.
The ex-Spurs man has started this campaign off with three appearances, one goal and one assist, in all competitions – playing at left-back in one of his Premier League displays. This highlights his versatility along with his quality, as it allowed promising youngster Tino Livramento to gain more experience at right-back.
The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Danny Ings, Dejan Lovren and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are just some of the players the Saints have sold for big fees after developing them at St. Mary’s. So, with his Premier League experience and age, why can Walker-Peters not have a chance to be the next player on that list?
Southampton fans will be frustrated by these disrespectful comments towards the right-back and hoping that the £50k-per-week flyer can prove him wrong and go on to make it at the very top level of the game.
AND in other news, Fewer touches than McCarthy: Saints dud who lost 85% of his duels let Ralph down badly…