Tottenham sold a midfielder for £10m last summer who is now among Europe’s best in one key area

Add as preferred source on Google

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks has enjoyed an exceptional start to life at Leicester City.

Harry Winks left north London for a £10 million fee over the summer after making 203 appearances for his boyhood club.

The Englishman joined Tottenham’s academy set-up aged just five and was a regular under former boss Mauricio Pochettino.

But his game time at Spurs was reduced under the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, which ultimately led to him leaving in search of regular first-team football.

After a short spell at Serie A outfit Sampdoria on loan last term, Winks seems to have found a home at the King Power Stadium. He’s racked up 31 appearances in all competitions this term, netting two goals in the process. 

And according to CIES Football Observatory, he ranks amongst Europe’s best midfielder when it comes to ball retention. 

Winks among Europe’s best in key area

CIES claims that Winks has retained the ball in ‘high-pressure’ situations 90.1 per cent of the time this term.

It’s noted that a player is considered under pressure when at least one opponent nearby is trying to limit his options or recover the ball.

Winks is currently ranked 13th in the list, above the likes of Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich. 

Of course, Winks has been playing his football in the Championship this season so that does have to be taken into account when comparing him to other players in Europe’s top five leagues.

Nevertheless, it’s brilliant to see the midfielder thriving in the Midlands. He endured a difficult spell at Spurs before leaving over the summer after falling out of favour under Conte. 

It’s important to remember that Winks played a key role in the Tottenham side which reached the Champions League final back in 2019.

There’s clearly a top player in there and the move to Leicester may just help Winks rediscover his best form at the top level.