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Pochettino leaves door open for Yedlin to stay with Tottenham for upcoming season

DeAndre Yedlin Tottenham 27

 

By RYAN TOLMICH

DeAndre Yedlin will take the field with Tottenham on Wednesday in the MLS All-Star game, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino says that it may not be the last time that the 22-year-old is seen in a Spurs uniform this season.

For weeks, Yedlin has been linked with a loan move away from the club as the former Seattle Sounders star could struggle for playing time in a crowded Tottenham roster. Likely behind Kyle Walker and Kieren Trippier, minutes at right back may be hard to come by for the U.S. Men’s National Team speedster.

However, Pochettino insists that Yedlin will be given his chance to shine in the coming weeks and, in turn, earn a spot on the Tottenham roster heading into the 2015-16 campaign.

“I think that DeAndre is very young,” Pochettino said at a press conference ahead of the MLS All-Star Game. “He has a very good potential for the future. I think joining us in the middle of the season last season, he has an opportunity now to show his value and try to convince me to stay next season.

“And it’s like any other player. He has the same opportunity to show his quality and maybe — why not — stay on the squad for the next season to compete in the Premier League.”

The 22-year-old joined Tottenham in January after originally being acquired by the club this past August. Spending a majority of his time with the reserves, Yedlin did make one Premier League appearance: a cameo in an April defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.

Yedlin most recently finished up a Gold Cup campaign with the U.S Men’s National Team, a campaign that saw the U.S. settle for a disappointing fourth place finish. Yedlin made five appearances in six games, four of which came as a substitute.

Tottenham is set to face the MLS All-Star’s Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home of the Colorado Rapids, ahead of the start of the Premier League season, which will see the club kick off against Manchester United on August 8 at Old Trafford.

What do you make of Pochettino’s comments? What do you expect from Yedlin this season? Would a loan move be ideal?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I still say everyone is underestimating Yedlin. He has accepted and matched every challenge given to him so far. The sky is the limit with him, and Walker is heading downhill. I don’t know anything about Trippier, but Yedlin is very very good.

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  2. This is totally normal for a 22 year old kid who signed for a bigger club in the EPL. There’s absolutely a chance he can play for Spurs at some point… whether it’s this season is a whole other question. He also could flunk out, which wouldn’t be surprising. There really is no option for us fans but to wait and see. Most young players in top leagues start out fighting for time and often get loaned. The ability to fight for time for big clubs in big leagues is what can make a player who they are. Yedlin has potential there’s no doubt, but his technical ability really is lacking. That’s a skill, though, that is more easily taught and developed. No reason to be upset if he doesn’t pan out at Spurs immediately.

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    • i couldn’t agree more. judging whether or not a 22 year olds career is going down the drain after 7 months with a new EPL club is pretty odd.

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      • Why is it a waste of a career? Those are some strong, ignorant words. Please explain, with a thoughtful argument that doesn’t discount a professional athlete’s desire to perservere and succeed at the highest level possible, and get paid handsomely for it.

      • +1

        not to mention how are you (QWASITU) saying someone is wasting their career already at 22?… quick to judge much?

  3. I do see Yedlin as more of a winger than a right back. He gets up the field very well, and looks to take players on 1v1. all of which are characteristics that you like to see from your winger. I think his final ball needs some fine tuning and i think that’s where his move to England makes sense. if he gets playing time. i think it’s great that he’ll fight for a spot at Tottenham, but do feel that he could benefit from playing on loan for a team in the Premier League this season. Perhaps a club that was recently promoted or a club that has been struggling and could use a player like Yedlin to help. I’m thinking clubs like Watford, Norwich, Bournemouth, or maybe Newcastle, West Bromwich.

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    • I am not saying that he is necessarily better as a defender, but I don’t get why everyone seems to think that he is better as a winger. The characteristics that everyone says make him a good winger also contribute to being a good attacking right back. His defending has not always been great but how many young attacking defenders are great defenders initially? Luke Shaw went to Man U. based totally on attacking talent. We just got done watching Timmy Chandler play right back through the Gold Cup. I would have rather had Yedlin back there. He defended Hazard very well at the World Cup so there is potential there.

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    • The problem with Yedlin is that he is an unfinished product as both an outside back and an outside midfielder.
      Outside Back: Yedlin is poor in his 1 vs. 1 defending. Gets caught out of position to often, but has great make-up speed.
      Outside Midfield: Yedlin is a one trick pony in attack (pushes the ball past his opponent and runs around them). He is not very good at crosses or combining with his teammates in build up.
      A good coach in an environment where he gets games will help his development greatly.

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  4. I don’t read other comments because I don’t care what you all say, so excuse me if someone has already brought this up but doesn’t this guy have to say good things about Yedlin? It’s his player and they’re in his home country. Obviously he’s going to give him some praise and hint he will be there.

    You can’t take his words as a solid bet that he actually likes Yedlin and thinks he’s good. I sure as hell don’t

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      • Tactics. He started getting minutes for the USMNT at right back because we were relying on our outside backs to bomb forward and provide width, while the right mid (think Zusi) pinched in more centrally. Still do in places, which is one reason he isn’t a regular starter at either position.
        Klinsman has moved him to Right Mid/Wing because he wasn’t strong enough defensively against top competition, and he provides a great boost of speed and attacking moves off the bench. A significant change of shape and pace when replacing someone in the 65th or 70th minute. If they’ve been seeing a pinched-in right mid all day, then, when they are tired, have to face a fresh Yedlin coming at them with pace, it shows a new wrinkle in our attack and takes a bit of attacking pressure off or our Right back.

      • I think he was playing RB with the Sounders before he ever played for the national team. So, somewhere along the line, either before MLS or in Seattle, somebody decided that was his best position. Yet i would argue that he doesn’t seem to be that good a defender. His strength seems to bed going forward and attacking.

      • yea he was a RB at SEA but i saw an interview somewhere with him where he mentioned he grew up as an attacker (not surprised due to his speed) but i believe either SEA or the youth academy he was at just prior switched him to RB. imho it was because he was really fast so they wanted to use that on defense to recover which not a lot do well in MLS. his 1v1 defending is decently average to solid. thats the main thing he can learn in england; tackling and positioning. from what i’ve seen he definitely looks way more comfortable on the ball in any situation since he’s been training with Tott. I think if he continues to grow he could settle down with a mid table team that runs a pure 433 and be a winger.

  5. This sounds a lot like what Guardiola said about Julian Green before Bayern Munich came over for the all-star game last year. These managers and clubs know the score. They are not going to come out and say that an American player isn’t good enough to earn minutes with their club and will likely be going on loan. That is not good for business.

    My prediction is that he has made this statement, will play Yedlin for significant minutes in the all-star game, and then at some point after their trip to the US Yedlin will get loaned out. He simply isn’t up to par for Tottenham, and if it is a good loan situation it would be better for him to go out somewhere else and get playing time.

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    • PH,

      Guardiola basically “discovered” Green. Julian made his initial splash in Germany and at the time, it wasn’t clear that he would play for the US.

      Yedlin made his initial splash over here before Pochettino and Spurs bought him.

      I would say Guardiola’s regard for Green is more credible than any regard Pochettino displays for Yedlin, not that he is lying about him. His statements about DeAndre don’t amount to anything other than “we will see”.

      And frankly that is how it should be. DeAndre has a lot to learn and he isn’t ready yet to be a starter in the EPL.

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  6. I honestly think he was purchased to make us more appealing to audiences in the States.
    He is not in the same bracket as Walker or Trippier and will get games in the league cup and Europa league at best.Although the Manager has said he is young,at 22 he should be a regular in the first team squad by now if he were of suitable standard.He will improve as a player by working with the quality players at Spurs but he should really think about going on loan to a club lower down the league to get game time and used to the physical nature of the English game.
    I cant see him being at Tottenham next season.

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      • it would be better playing regualarly anywhere than on the bench.Stoke is too good for him too , maybe Gillingham ,Yeovil or Portsmouth

      • Gillingham are in League One and the other two are in League Two. I assume you just typed three lower league clubs that you’ve heard of since Yedlin playing there makes no sense.

    • Have you seen Trippier play? What does he bring to the table? All I know is what little I have read, which basically boils down to he is highly touted. Well, the EPL has been littered with highly touted young players who don’t amount to much. What is Trippier’s outstanding feature? Is it on ball defending, passing from the back, good pace or what? Anyone know? Yedlin is not going to beat out Walker, so Trippier would seem his major competition.

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      • Yes i have seen Trippier play .Check out his stats and you will see what an outstanding ,proven Premier League player he is.

      • trippier is a very solid fullback–good defense, tidy passing, good service–he’d be a great backup for walker. as soon as i heard he was going to spurs, i was really hoping to hear of a loan deal for yedlin. just don’t see yedlin getting minutes at fullback now, and i don’t think he’s polished enough to be an attacking winger in the epl.

  7. Sure he’s gotten better. Previously he was basically usueless on the ball. he only thrived on through ball runs and outside runs. Now he can make plays with the ball at his feet. hopefully he gets loaned to a lower tier premier league team and can compete against top competition.

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  8. He’s a great difference maker when ur playing counter attack football like we were against Holland and Germany. Has a ways to go before he can contribute to a team where the other team bunkers in and doesn’t allow him to use his speed. I’d assume with their talent…at least 13+ teams bunker in against tottenham in the EPL. Like to see him loaned

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  9. Of course playing at Seattle might help further his development in the short term… but fighting for a spot in an EPL team is best for his long term development. Worst case scenario, he will get loaned out to a Championship side and will still get that game experience he would have had at Seattle (in an arguably better league than MLS). I am not an MLS hater but at what point do we stop being so scared to send our players to Europe to challenge them? Of course some will fail and come back to the states, but competing for a spot against stiffer competition is the only way that we will be able to develop top level talent in our national team.

    Would Dempsey have been the same player if he never left MLS? How about McBride? Bradley? Tim Howard?

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    • Really, the US does not send players anywhere. The players and their agents look for better prospects (salaries) and other professional teams looking for good players scout national teams and pay attention to what is going on in other leagues like MLS. To the extent the USMNT sends anyone, it is only by calling friends, making referrals and helping to arrange trials. If the other team is not interested, there is no sending. If the player does not want to leave the MLS, there is no sending.

      So Yedlin wanted to go for more money, a bigger challenge or just a chance to visit England. Tottenham signed him because they thought he was a strong prospect for their first team. Other than self-interest Tottenham would not be paying.

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  10. So the question should be: Does practicing at Tottenham make him a better player than starting every week in Seattle. We all know he is getting a better paycheck.

    I would say he is just as good as he was last year, but has he gotten any better?

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    • Or, as an American in the Premier League, exactly how much better do you have to be than European players to get minutes? I’m guessing somewhere between 125% and 150%.

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      • DC,

        Do you think Geoff Cameron is 150-125% better than whoever it is he is beating out for playing time?

        Jozy had 39 appearances for Sunderland in the 2013-14 season. Was he 150-125% better than Fletcher, Wickham or whatever other warm body that had there?

      • I mean, if you look at the number of goals scored by Sunderland when Jozy was on the field compared to when he wasn’t… Yes, actually.

        With Cameron, not so sure.

    • If he goes on loan to a lower level PL club or a Championship club then I think he’s in as good a position if not better so long as he gets regular minutes. And since this is his job we can’t discount the fact he’s getting a better paycheck.

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    • The question could become, Is he better off playing every week in MLS, or in the English Championship? Or it could be, Is he better off sitting on Tottenham’s bench, playing on its reserve team, or being loaned to a championship team? I think that anything that gets him closer to playing in a top European league is better.

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      • right, and perhaps i’m on the patient side but to me a 21 year old is highly unlikely to be playing in the first place. if 3 years from now it’s the same thing of him riding the bench and not being loaned out or something then it’s a problem but I knew the moment he was signed he wouldn’t see the field for a while with Tottenham’s 1st team, and that that, to me, wasn’t a bad thing. let him train, make cameos, learn the league and by the time he’s 22/23 he’ll be ready to take on a starting role hopefully. it seems many have this ambitious perception of him and his situation. just look at other 21 year olds, especially on defense where the average age might be slightly higher. all in all, a loan to another team (fought to move so soon) or being a backup with random cameos (still learning chemistry, the league, not a lot of pressure, etc) are pretty equal in the long run.

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