Kyle Walker-Peters has revealed he was not forced out of Tottenham by Jose Mourinho and says it was purely his decision to leave the club.
The 24-year-old was initially loaned to Southampton in January 2020, before the move to St Mary’s was made permanent for around £12 million at the end of the campaign.
The move came as a result of Walker-Peters struggling to make a break into the first-team at Spurs, with the likes of Serge Aurier and Japhet Tanganga often deployed ahead of him at full-back by then-manager Mourinho.
However, the Saints defender says the Portuguese coach did not push him out of his boyhood club and admits he chose to leave N17 himself in pursuit of gaining a starting role elsewhere in the Premier League.
Speaking to Optus Sport, Walker-Peters said: “I spoke to Mourinho before coming here, he didn’t force me to leave, he didn’t say that he didn’t want me. He left it up to me and he was really honest with me.
“We had a really good conversation and I felt it was time for me to leave my comfort zone and show everyone that I can play back to back games and be a regular starter in a Premier League team.”
Walker-Peters has made 58 appearances for Southampton since securing a move to the south coast, with 13 of those coming in all competitions this season.
Spurs Web Opinion
A lot of people were disappointed Walker-Peters never made it at Spurs, but ultimately he was reaching the age where he needed to be playing regularly in a starting role.
It is good that he has found that at Southampton, and it appears as if he has cemented his position in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team.
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