Tottenham confirm exit of homegrown midfielder to Leicester
Leicester City have confirmed the signing of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp, who has penned a five-year contract with the club.
The 23-year-old came through Spurs’ academy and made his first-team debut in 2018 during an EFL Cup victory over West Ham United. He made 106 appearances for the club in total, the majority of which came after a successful loan spell at Norwich City in 2020/21 when he helped the Canaries win promotion to the Premier League.
Skipp has now left his hometown team and signed for the Foxes for a reported £20m fee, joining Abdul Fatawu, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Michael Golding and Caleb Okoli as summer signings on their return to the top flight. Facundo Buonanotte has also arrived on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.
He told Leicester’s website: “I’m really excited to sign. I’ve got the feeling that it’s a good group of people and a good group of players. I’m sure that we’ve got a squad capable of challenging in every game. You look around the squad and there’s lots of exciting players who have played in the Premier League and I’m really excited to see what this group can achieve.
“I had conversations with the people here and they gave me a feeling of warmth and that they were excited to have me on board. As a player, when you feel that excitement, that’s something you can use to develop your game. The staff here know me as well – Steve [Cooper], I have worked with at England so there’s definitely a good relationship there and I’m keen to push on and show what I can do.”
A hardworking central midfielder, Skipp scored only one goal during his five seasons in the senior setup with Tottenham, netting from 20 yards in the 2-0 victory over Chelsea in February 2023.
He will link up with former Spurs teammate Harry Winks, who could play in Monday night’s Premier League clash between the two teams at the King Power Stadium.
READ MORE TOTTENHAM NEWS
Tottenham get their season underway tonight as Ange Postecoglou looks to kick on from a positive enough first season.
Spurs go into the game with Leicester City knowing they’re expected to win and after making some new signings this summer, spirits are high.
Postecoglou spoke of freshening things up in the summer and he’s been afforded the chance to do that.
In have come Archie Gray, Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert – who is set to miss the clash with Leicester tonight – while Lucas Bergvall has also arrived after being signed in January.
Of course, with 10 days of the window still to go, more Tottenham signings could still arrive.
However, it seems the signings of Gray and Bergvall in particular may well have altered Tottenham’s thinking.
Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall impact influencing Tottenham’s transfer plans
According to a report from The Evening Standard, Tottenham had been looking at bringing in a new number six this summer.
Midfield is a key area for Postecoglou and Tottenham have a long-standing interest in Conor Gallagher.
However, according to the report, the signings and impact of both Gray and Bergvall have altered the thinking at Tottenham.
Now, it seems the club are less inclined to push the boat out and sign a new deep-lying midfielder before the deadline passes.
Gray and Bergvall impress at Tottenham
A lot has been made of the impact the young midfield pair have had in the summer and it seems they’re in for a big season.
Tottenham coaching staff are thought to be stunned by how good Gray is and there’s a sense they can’t believe they’ve landed him.
Bergvall, meanwhile, is thought to have wowed scouts from across Europe with his performances and even Heung-Min Son has commented on how good both Gray and Bergvall have been.
Tottenham, then, appear to have got it right this time around and in reality, they could well have their midfield set for the next decade and beyond.
