MY ACCOUNT
Oliver Skipp has been a standout performer for Tottenham in the Premier League this season.
The English midfielder has been consistently superb in helping the London side pick up wins under new coach Antonio Conte.
With the Europa Conference League match against Rennes now postponed and the game against Brighton on Sunday in doubt, Skipp will be getting a well-deserved rest.
We turn the spotlight on the academy graduate’s role in the Spurs squad and look at why he is such a fan favourite.
Academy product
Skipp is one of the more recent homegrown products who have forced their way into the first team — following in the footsteps of Ledley King and Harry Kane.
The England Under-21s ace joined the youth side in 2013 and quickly began to make a name for himself.
Skipp started with the Spurs U-18s in 2016 and progressed through the ranks until he made his senior debut for the club in 2018.
At just 16, Skipp was one of the most capped U-18s during the 2016-17 season — featuring 23 times.
Just one year later and Skipp made the step up to the U-23s, playing 16 times in the Premier League 2 and scoring his first goal in a Spurs shirt in a 3-1 win over Arsenal.
His ball-winning mentality earned Skipp a place in the senior squad for their Champions League trip to Barcelona in 2018.
Since then — barring a successful loan spell last term at Norwich — the 21-year-old has been an ever-present in the Spurs squad and is now a regular starter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Playing style
Skipp operates in the centre of midfield and played a more defensive role under Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo.
The midfielder is excellent at retaining the ball for Spurs and proves to be difficult to dispossess.
When on the ball, Skipp shows a burst of pace and uses his strength to fend off his opponents — something that is reminiscent of the role formerly played by ex-Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele.
Under Antonio Conte, Skipp has been utilised in a more advanced position, with the Englishman being Spurs’ main ball carrier and provider for the front-line.
Although he is yet to register a goal or assist in the Premier League this season, Skipp often provides the key pass that sets his side off on a counter-attack.
His link-up play with Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura has helped fire Spurs back into contention for the Champions League spots under Conte.
But with a tackle success rate of 57%, it is clear that there is still room for improvement within Skipp’s game.
World-class coaching
Skipp has spent over eight years at Hotspur Way, in which time he has been coached by some world-class bosses.
Mauricio Pochettino, Mourinho and Conte are the three big names that have guided Skipp in his development, with all three singing the praises of the youngster.
Pochettino was the first to hail the playmaker, saying: “He’s a proper midfielder, a very talented midfielder.
“He links the game well, always looking forward, very aggressive, his energy is amazing and he’s such a clever guy off the pitch as well as on it.”
Mourinho spoke in a similar sense and was particularly happy with Skipp, following an FA Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Norwich in March 2020.
The former Spurs boss said: “Phenomenal. Very, very good, solid performance.
“Even with the yellow card, I kept him on for two hours because he was so solid, so mature, so confident that I was never afraid of a second yellow card coming.
“He was always in control of the game.”
His latest manager has also seen the potential in Skipp and tipped him to become one of the world’s best in the future.
Conte said: “I think that the present and the future depends on him.
“If he wants to become a top midfielder, he could become a top midfielder, but he has to continue to work.
“He has this will, this desire to become an important player for Tottenham, for the present and for the future.”
A future England star?
Skipp has the potential to become a Spurs legend should he remain at the club during his peak years.
At just 21, he has plenty of time to continue his development at the top level.
Skipp is destined to earn his first senior call-up to the England squad in the near future — but he might have to wait until after the World Cup.
Regardless, Skipp says he is purely focused on doing his job for Spurs.
He said: “I am not getting carried away. I have played 10 or 15 games this season.
“There are a lot of things I need to be doing to be in that mix and I am just looking forward to keep pushing and seeing where it takes me.
“I have just got to keep doing what I am doing for the club and see what happens.”
