Kieran Trippier to be Atletico Madrid’s first English player in 95 years

Tottenham Hotspur defender Kieran Trippier is set to be Atletico Madrid’s first English player n 95 years, as outlined by El Mundo Deportivo.

The report adds that the previous player from England to represent the club was a forward named Drinkwater in the 1923/24 campaign, of which “there are hardly any historical references beyond which he played three games and scored ten goals.”

There have been a number of English managers at Atleti – Vince Hayes managed the side in the same campaign as Drinkwater, while Fred Pentland, Walter Harris, Ron Atkinson and Colin Addison also took the helm.

Trippier, 28, saw his form at Spurs stagnate last season and the club are said to be open to a sale which will allow them to reinvest in their squad.

The former Burnley defender helped his nation to last year’s World Cup semi-final while he has also helped Spurs reach the final of this season’s Champions League.

A host of defenders are leaving Atleti this summer – the departures of Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin and Juanfran Torres have all been confirmed, with Trippier likely to be a direct replacement for the latter.

Meanwhile Filipe Luis could also potentially depart following the expiration of his contract (although the club remains in talks) while full-back Santiago Arias has also been linked to a summer departure.

A variety of reports earlier in the summer had linked Trippier with a summer move to Napoli from North London.

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