Oliver Skipp

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I know it’s against the grain but I quite like Skipp. Sure he’s got limitations but I also think he has been poorly managed and coached. Since that year away at Norwich where he bossed the division he’s been really badly developed by consecutive managers. If he was somewhere like Brighton they’d be a queue of clubs trying to get him and we would be one of them because he’d be a much better player than he is now. Not sure that’s his fault.
 
For those who knew nothing about Oliver Skipp before these pre-season games, he played most of the u18 games in 2016/17 despite still being a schoolboy so playing at least a year up, and followed up in last season 2017/18 by playing most of his games for the u21's (despite being a 16 year old at the start of the season), scoring his first u21 goal v Woolwich, and generally looking one of the most accomplished players on the pitch despite invariably being the youngest.

Almost certainly one of the most best players to come out of our academy in the last few years, although as a DM was without the benefit of the 'razzmatazz' that tends to accompany young forwards such as Edwards.

Plays as a DM mainly, although being able to cover as CB, but whilst doing all the standard DM stuff has a good range of forward passing, positional sense and understanding of what's going on around him in the game.

I'm not surprised at his performances in pre-seasson, although I wondered if he might be omitted from this pre-season as he's so young - but he's shown no signs of nerves against Roma or Barcelona and performed well. I'd hope now that Poch gives him some minutes for the first team this coming season, although its possibly a season too early he looks ready for it to me.
 
Got a nice write-up in the Daily Mail today.

Oliver Skipp has been catapulted on to the Tottenham bench by their injury crisis... but he will soon be banging on the first-team door in his own right
  • Oliver Skipp displays all-round attributes and shows maturity beyond his years
  • In a recent tie, he put three heavy but fair tackles in during the first 10 minutes
  • Confident in confrontation, he also showed maturity when using the ball
By THE SECRET SCOUT FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Our scout is a top football expert who attends matches each week searching for the next star.

He'll bring you his verdict in Sportsmail.

This week he has been keeping a close eye on Tottenham starlet Oliver Skipp. Here's what he thought.

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Oliver Skipp has been named the PL2 Player of the Month for September 2018



WHAT HAS HE GOT?
Recently turned 18, this promising player has been catapulted on to the Tottenham bench somewhat by default as Mauricio Pochettino deals with major injury problems.

But it will not be long before Skipp, born in Welwyn Garden City, is banging on the first-team door in his own right and challenging the established internationals at the club.

As a central midfielder with all-round attributes, he shows maturity beyond his years. He has an unorthodox and unattractive gait - with bandy legs - but this disguises good balance when tackling and challenging for the ball.

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Skipp of Tottenham in action during the UEFA Youth League match against Inter Milan

OLIVER SKIPP FACTS
Age: 18

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Position: Centre midfield

Value: £2m


In a recent academy game I saw, he got tight to the opposition's quality midfielder and gave him three powerful but fair challenges in the first 10 minutes.

Confident in confrontation, he also showed maturity when using the ball. Playing from deep but driving upfield in possession, he has the vision to quickly see the forward pass.

As he went from a defensive area towards the opposition box, he twice played exquisite reverse passes with a canny touch and he also knows the value of playing the ball 'round the corner' one-touch when it arrives square to him.

When an opponent got tight, this pass - delivered first time - put his marker out of the game and gave Skipp the opportunity to run past him and take the return.

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The 18-year-old appears to show Eric Dier a clean set of heels during a recent training session

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Skipp's No 52 shirt is placed in the Wembley changing rooms following his call up to the squad

WHAT DOES HE NEED?
He must answer a couple of questions. Will he score goals? Strikes from central midfield are valuable. And will he have the mentality to maximise the big opportunity when it comes? Pertinently, when might that opportunity come? That is a problem for many young English players.

But there is no doubt that Skipp looks like a leader, cajoling and encouraging his team's forward players to press as a unit as he backed them up from centre field.

He is not selfish and looks to have enough sharpness to get to his opponents quickly.

On this showing, he would remind the older generation of Tottenham watchers of a young Steve Perryman.

I only hope that he can eventually justify this praise.

Oliver Skipp will soon be banging on the Tottenham first-team door | Daily Mail Online
 
Horrific leg snapping challenge on Skipp in todays game with Rotherham which saw the Rotherham player get sent off.

And Skipp just gets up and walks off from it.

Can see why Mourinho thinks he's a future captain. Balls of steel that lad.
 
This is the perfect loan for Skipp - he's at a club competing for promotion, he plays every match - as much as I want a DM backup in January, Skipp needs to stay the season.
 
Oli Skipp's change of squad number from 52 to 29 suggests that he's becoming a firm first team regular now, next door to Ndombele at 28.
Sadly, it doesn't help my weather vane much.

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wow. Big statement to make. Why is he so promising Mate? Why more than them ?



Love this video of the Dutch youth team discussing his performance against them.



And there's the performance they're talking about.

Basically, he's very comfortable receiving the ball under pressure, turning with it and then actually playing it forward and breaking lines. All whilst being a busy cunt, getting round the pitch and putting in a tackle to win back the ball too.

There's plenty of videos online that show you what Skipp is all about - hard to judge in the sense that the videos are mostly pre-season for Spurs or at youth level with England or Tottenham so not the greatest opposition or level - but they do highlight what he's good at. It's all about him hopefully putting it all together, getting the vital experience and development needed to be a top player for us.



Here is video from pre-season against Juventus - again, it is pre-season, a slower pace so hard to judge 100% - but this is also the game I believe Tanganga got highly praised for when marking Ronaldo.
 
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