Spurs fan Walker-Peters on training hard and long-term targets

Kyle Walker-Peters says he’s learning from the best in the business after spending time training with the first team squad of late.

The 19-year-old full-back, primarily used on the right in our academy but equally comfortable on the left, is relishing the chance to develop his game alongside the likes of Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies on a regular basis.

And after signing a new contract with the club, the local lad and Spurs fan is determined to keep putting in the graft on the Hotspur Way training pitches in order to push himself to the next level and achieve his dream of one day wearing our famous Lilywhite shirt in the top flight.

“I was buzzing, over the moon!” beamed Kyle when asked how he felt when he was offered his new deal. “I believe it shows that the club has faith in me and it’s perfect timing because it’s given me a lot more confidence when I’m going out there to train every day, believing that I’m going in the right direction.

“Training is tough, there’s no doubt about that and you have to adapt because the intensity is a lot higher but it can only make you better and it’s imperative that I keep working hard. I’m learning from Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Trips and Ben Davies all the time and that helps a lot. We have probably the two best starting full-backs in the country in Walker and Rose, and Trips and Ben are top, top players like them so I just need to be patient and try my utmost to get to their level one day.

“My long-term goal is definitely to play for Tottenham. I’m a Spurs fan, I was born at North Middlesex Hospital (in Edmonton, just a stone’s throw from White Hart Lane), I’ve grown up in Tottenham and I’ve supported the club all my life.

“I joined the club at 10 years old so it would be a massive honour to play and hopefully start a game one day, but that all starts from the training pitch so I need to keep improving and eventually prove to the gaffer that I’m worthy of a chance.”

After witnessing the progress of fellow academy starlet Harry Winks in recent years, where he spent countless months training with the first team before seizing his opportunity on the pitch to brilliant effect, Kyle would love to follow the pathway trodden by the midfielder in the coming seasons.

“I think every young player at the club should look at Harry Winks and think if he’s done it, I can do it too,” added the England Under-20 international, who has picked up some senior exposure during our two most recent pre-season campaigns. “That’s my motivation. I can’t sit around, I have to focus on each week as it comes, then focus on pushing and pushing again. I saw Harry go through it, he kept working hard for months and years and he got his reward in the end so I just need to keep pushing to try to earn it too.”

Named among our substitutes for both of our FA Cup ties this season to date, against Aston Villa and Wycombe Wanderers, Kyle says the opportunity to be around the players on a matchday has been very beneficial to him.

“The chance to be in the squad was incredible, especially the Wycombe game which was crazy!” he smiled. “I’ve never seen a game like that, it was entertaining, incredible and I was even up celebrating when we were scoring, going crazy like everyone else!

“I’ve travelled a few times with the team now and sometimes you’re on the bench, sometimes you’re not, but being around the squad is always a big positive and seeing how the players are before games, I think you can learn from it.”