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Opinion: Tottenham have sold the wrong defender this summer

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We all saw the news that Kieran Trippier is now an Atletico Madrid player (BBC), leaving Serge Aurier, Kyle Walker-Peters and Juan Foyth scrapping over the right-back spot in North London.

However, of the club’s four potential right-backs, it shouldn’t have been Trippier to go.

Trippier didn’t have the most outstanding season we’ve ever seen and at times the Tottenham man let his side down with some poor performances, however, he’s much more reliable than Serge Aurier, and Mauricio Pochettino could have made a big mistake by keeping the Ivorian over Trippier.

According to The Standard, it will be up to Aurier, Walker-Peters and Foyth to hold the fort at right-back next season with no new signings expected to bolster the position, however, with Aurier the most senior of the three, it’s a worrying thought that he may be relied upon week in week out in the Premier League.

The Ivorian defender showed the signs of his unreliability when he got sent off against West Ham in what was just his third appearances for the club in a 3-2 win at London Stadium last season, and after that, he went on to give away penalties against Real Madrid, Juventus and Brighton across the rest of the campaign.

In two seasons at the club, Aurier has managed just 41 games, that’s mainly down to injuries this season and the competition that he’s had from Kieran Trippier, but now it looks like the defender is set to feature a lot more for the Lilywhites over at least the next 12 months.

Kyle Walker-Peters and Juan Foyth will provide rotation and depth for Aurier, but with his temperament and ability to give a game away in a single moment, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see him lose his place to one of the more junior options at right-back.

Meanwhile, Trippier will be bombing up and down the right-flank as Diego Simeone’s first-choice defender, and even after he had a poor season during 2018/19, the World Cup hero from 2018 is surely a better player to have around than Aurier.

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