When Kieran Trippier became the first Newcastle United signing under their new owners in January of this year, the club were mired in a relegation battle. They sat 19th having won just one game in the first half of the season and Eddie Howe was attempting to repair the damage that Steve Bruce had done in the north-east.
His first port of order was a call to his old friend Trippier. They had worked together briefly at Burnley before the Englishman had moved on to bigger and better things, first with Tottenham Hotspur, and then with Atletico Madrid.
After a La Liga title, the Bury-born full-back surprised everybody by choosing to swap the sunny Spanish capital for the north-east. Newcastle and Howe had pulled off a masterstroke for the small sum of £12m.
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“I think I said it on the first day I signed, I want to help the club,” Tripper told The Independent. “I came when they were 19th in the league and got questioned about that, but I believed and have believed throughout my whole career.
“I believed that I could help them stay up – not just me, of course. But it is about building. We are high up at the moment but the Premier League is relentless so you’ve got to keep your feet on the ground.”
Fast forward 12 months and Newcastle, now often captained by Trippier, sit third in the Premier League. Only Arsenal and Manchester City are above them and the magic Magpies have lost just once in the Premier League this term. A run of eight wins out of their last nine has propelled them up the table and now they look like genuine contenders for Champions League football this term.
That prospect has clearly got the St James’ Park faithful excited, but Trippier is keeping his feet firmly planted on the floor, even if the recent form has justified his decision to move clubs.
“The fans are there to dream, That is what they pay all their hard-earned money to watch us and follow us for. They can dream, of course.
Flawless delivery. 🎯
“As players, we need to be realistic and keep our feet on the ground. We’re in a good position in the Premier League and the cup. You can’t take anything for granted, you’ve always got to respect your opposition, but we believe.
“We are together as a team and a club and just take it a game at a time.”
For Trippier on an individual level, this move has reinvigorated his already impressive career. He’s now back in the Premier League performing at the very highest level, and has arguably proven himself to be England’s most competent right-back. He will be 33 by the time that Euro 2024 roles around, but who would back against him starting for England in Germany?
It’s without a doubt the Three Lions' strongest area in their squad, with Reeece James, Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben White all able to play there, but Trippier at the moment, trumps the lot of them. Plus, he boasts the experience the others simply don’t have. England’s two biggest goals of this Millenium, the free-kick against Croatia in 2018 and Luke Shaw’s opener v Italy in the Euro 2020 final, were both thanks to the right-boot of the Newcastle right-back.
His set pieces are as good as anybody’s in the league and his leadership abilities, as we have seen this term, surpass his England rivals. Gareth Southgate was vilified for saying that Trippier’s all-round game was currently ahead of Trent’s in September, but given what we have seen so far, yet again he has been proven right.
Almost a year to the day since he arrived on Tyneside, Trippier has been the pivotal key in transforming their fortunes. He’s arguably the most underrated player in the England squad and everybody’s favourite defender in Fantasy Premier League, with only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane outscoring him so far this season.
Trippier looked like a great first signing on paper, but few believed he would be this influential. England’s best right-back could be heading back to the Champions League, this time in black and white.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
