Kieran Trippier says that he could have taken an easier option when he made his transfer from Burnley last summer but he has embraced the competition at Tottenham Hotspur, which is provided by his friend Kyle Walker.
Trippier played alongside Walker for England at the European Under-19s Championship in Ukraine in 2009 and the pair have remained close. Trippier started at right-back; Walker at right centre-half and the team, managed by Brian Eastick, made it to the final, where they were beaten by Ukraine.
Trippier is now in direct competition with Walker for the right-back spot at Tottenham, having joined from Burnley last June in a £3.5m deal and, so far, he has played second fiddle. He is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League and his three starts have come in the cups – two in the Europa League and one in the Capital One Cup loss to Arsenal.
Trippier is expected to return to the lineup for Thursday’s Europa League tie against Anderlecht in Brussels – in which Tottenham will attempt to cement their position at the top of Group J – and the 25-year-old intends to be ready if and when the Premier League call comes.
“I’m looking forward to playing in the Premier League and making sure that when I get my chance, I take it,” Trippier said. “As soon as Tottenham came in for me, I wanted to sign. Maybe I could have gone somewhere else with less competition but me and Kyle are good mates, and we are both trying our best to get that position.
“We played for the England Under-19s at the Euros in Ukraine in 2009, so there is no bitterness between us. When he plays, I am in the dressing-room encouraging him and wishing him well. We have a laugh together in training. There is no animosity or jealousy between us. We are both mates.”
Trippier enjoyed a fine season at Burnley last time out, even though they were relegated back into the Championship and he was keen to get a move to a Premier League club. He had begun his career at Manchester City – he joined them as a nine-year-old – but he could not make the first-team breakthrough and he had loans at Barnsley and then Burnley, before he made the permanent switch to Turf Moor in January 2012.
“It was never going to happen for me at City,” Trippier said. “The money they were spending on bringing in new players meant it came to a point when I just wanted to get out on loan to play some games.
“I went to Burnley and I just felt comfortable playing for them, week in, week out. Eddie Howe, who was the manager at the time, spoke to me and said he wanted to sign me. I had just signed a four-year deal at City but I said to him: ‘Yeah, just try and get me out.’ When I went to Burnley, I said I wanted to get promoted to the Premier League and we did that. Now, I am back here with Tottenham.
“Roberto Mancini was the City manager at the time. I went on tour with them and I got a new contract but when I went to Burnley and Eddie Howe wanted to sign me, I didn’t have to think twice.”
Trippier is part of a youthful Tottenham squad and, although his first-team opportunities have been limited so far, he has bought into the manager Mauricio Pochettino’s approach. “He wants the full-backs to push forward and play like wingers,” Trippier said. “I love that. I’m a modern-day full-back and I want to get up there and sling crosses in for my team-mates. There are so many good, young players here and there is a feeling in the dressing-room that this is our time.”
