Football insiders think Tottenham have a gem in 15k-a-week midfielder

Tottenham Hotspur haven’t been at the best in the last month, and have consistently started games poorly.

That run was extended yesterday as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.

Antonio Conte picked a relatively strong side, including the likes of Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

However, the balance of the team once again looked off, with Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Son Heung-min not in the starting line-up.

It forced Conte to play three central midfielders once again, with Ivan Perisic playing in a more advanced role with Kane.

However, it ended up with Oliver Skipp also being deployed further up the pitch in an unfamiliar role.

Skipp was one of the players sacrificed to bring on a more natural attacker after an hour, but it made no difference to the final result.

Skipp one of England’s most highly rated young midfielders

His game time this season has been limited by injury and the potent combination of Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield.

Skipp’s main skill is reading the game, disrupting opposition attacks and moving the ball quickly.

Conte is a fan of the £15,000-a-week midfielder, and the fact he was trusted to play in a new role last night shows the trust he has in him.

Tottenham fans will agree that Skipp is one of the most highly rated midfielders in England right now.

His time at Norwich and appearances under Conte before his injury at the start of the year show his potential.

Achieving regular game time at Tottenham may be tricky given the competition he’s up against.

But Conte will know how important it is to involve Skipp given his potential.

If he doesn’t, there will be plenty of suitors for the young midfielder who will give him that opportunity.