Transfer News: Premier League rivals Everton eye Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Winks ahead of the January transfer window
According to Sunday People (h/t The Shields Gazette), Premier League rivals Everton are continuing to keep tabs on Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks ahead of the January transfer window. He has had a tough time in recent seasons under various managers but has been handed a clean slate to impress with Antonio Conte at the helm.
Having come through the youth set-up, Winks has made 182 appearances for the club and has four goals and five assists across all competitions. He struggled for minutes when Nuno Espirito Santo was the Tottenham manager and that pattern is continuing under the former Inter Milan and Chelsea manager, Conte.
The Italian prefers a midfield pairing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, which creates a situation where the Englishman would struggle to get into the starting lineup. And should it continue to persist, we could see him look for options elsewhere if he gets frustrated with the lack of minutes.
Potential Departure?
With the 2022 Qatar World Cup drawing closer with each day, the midfielder would need to earn consistent minutes if he hopes to get called up for his national team. While it isn’t known if that will be a factor in him deciding to leave or stay at N17, it is no secret that playing regularly for the club increases a player’s chances to make the cut for their national team.
The 25-year-old did, however, feature against Leeds United in the Premier League for the full 90 minutes. It was a game of two halves for him as he had a forgettable first 45 minutes but excelled in the latter stages of the game. It’s unfair to base our judgement of Winks from that one game as the whole team was largely unimpressive, especially in the opening half of the game.
However, he still seems to be ahead of the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli in the pecking order, who have failed to take their chances under the Spurs boss.
With Giovani Lo Celso just returning from injury, the England international is still high up in the pecking order and could continue to earn more minutes moving forward. That is especially the case with the congested fixture list that is set to follow in the coming months.
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The recent case of the Covid outbreak resulted in the postponement of matches against Stade Rennes and Brighton and Hove Albion. That, alongside the postponed Burnley game, would add to the fixture pileup.
The Tottenham star would earn more minutes in such a circumstance as Antonio Conte would try to get through these matches using the full extent of the squad. The former would need to take full advantage of this situation and take control over his future at N17 and as for the club, it is imperative we don’t compromise on squad depth in such a crucial phase of the season.
