Kieran Trippier expresses anger at Daniel Levy for his 2019 exit from Tottenham Hotspur
According to The Athletic [Subscription Required], Newcastle United star Kieran Trippier has aired his anger at Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy for offering him to other clubs while he was still at Spurs.
Trippier spent four years with the Lilywhites after signing from Burnley in 2012. At Spurs, he developed into one of the best full-backs in the Premier League, helping the team to their maiden Champions League final in 2019 and earning a call up to play for England.
The Englishman looked back at his time with Spurs and called out Levy for how he was treated. Trippier was made to feel like the club did not want him and that his time was up in North London.
“What annoyed me … as you know, people in football speak and there are always rumours, but I know 100 per cent for a fact – and this is what I was most angry about – that two months before the end of the season, Daniel (Levy, the chairman) was offering me to other clubs. I knew for certain that was happening, so I knew my time there must be up.”
Speaking to Newcastle legend Alan Shearer, the former Spurs man, talked about how he felt like he wasn’t performing at his best towards the end of his Tottenham career. This despite putting in his best efforts to give his all for the club. The 31-year-old would depart N17 for Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019, where he went on to win a La Liga title.
Trippier will be regarded as one of the finest players Spurs have had the fortune of owning, with the right-back being one of the most consistent players during his time in North London. A potent crosser of the ball, the England international was a dream on the flanks for strikers, who benefitted from his dangerous balls into the box.
At the end of the 2018-19 season, after Spurs lost in the Champions League to Liverpool, Trippier said he wanted to depart England and move on in an attempt to clear his head. Despite playing for his teammates and supporters, the full-back admits that he wasn’t made to feel wanted.
“After the Champions League final, it felt like the right time to move on. The media weren’t really on my side at the time and maybe I needed to get out of England for a bit just to clear my mind. I never looked back……… I was playing for my team-mates and the supporters, but I also knew I wasn’t wanted.””
Trippier’s interview with Shearer invokes nostalgic memories of the full-back’s time at Spurs, where he grew in stature and quality, establishing himself as one of the finest players in the league. The right-back was a passionate and hard-working player for us until performance levels dipped towards the end of his stay in N17.
Although the Englishman admitted that his form saw a downturn towards the end, it is still heartbreaking to hear of the account of Levy offering the player to other clubs behind his back. Not the best way to repay a player who wore the club’s crest on his sleeve.
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Levy is known to be a shrewd businessman and executive, having only the club’s development and progress in mind at all times. Although it works well for us as a unit, hearing stories like this reminds us that football players are sometimes treated as disposable assets, much to their chagrin.
Trippier would have certainly loved to end his career at Spurs on a good note, but it was not meant to be. Hopefully, we see more of the former Atletico Madrid man in the Premier League, as he now looks to save his current employers at Newcastle from relegation.
