With each and every day that passes by, it continues to look less and less likely that US national team right back/winger DeAndre Yedlin will spend the 2015-16 Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.
[ MORE: Monday’s transfer rumor roundup ]
With that, the question begs asking: where will the 21-year-old Seattle Sounders academy product and 2014 World Cup breakout star play during the 2015-16 season?
With Tottenham’s signing of Kieran Trippier just last week and the entrenched status of starter Kyle Walker, first-team minutes at the right back position — or any sort of wing back/defensive winger-hybrid — look to be severely limited for the upcoming season.
Norwich City, who will be back in the Premier League once again this coming season, was the first club linked to Yedlin as soon as the Trippier deal was announced. In theory, it’s a good fit — Norwich could use another capable right back/winger, and Yedlin needs all the meaningful game time he can get. But Norwich manager Alex Neil will almost certainly have a long list of transfer and loan targets beyond Yedlin, which means the American might not be option No. 1.
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Enter Derby County and Bolton — both of whom will be playing in the Championship, England’s second division, this coming season, and are interested in signing the American speedster on a season-long loan deal, according to reports out of the UK.
A Championship loan wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for Yedlin — any playing time is good playing time right now — though the possibility of a Premier League loan where he’ll be given a chance to win minutes from the start of preseason would almost certainly be preference No. 1 of both Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klinsmann.
Yedlin, who made his Premier League debut and only competitive appearance to date for Spurs back in April, turned professional less than two and a half years ago (January 2013) and has already made 17 appearances for the USMNT.