Kieran Trippier Hints That Off-Field Issues Led to Departure From Tottenham

Kieran Trippier has admitted to certain 'behind the scenes' factors that led to his departure from Tottenham this summer. 

The 28-year-old joined La Liga title hopefuls Atletico Madrid for a fee in the region of £22m, just 12 months after Trippier was lauded as one of the standout stars of Gareth Southgate's England team that reached the World Cup semi-finals.

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It wasn't quite the happy home return for Trippier, though, whose performances were consistently called into question last season, being singled out as the weak link in the Tottenham backline for many pundits and fans.

Although he made more appearances for Spurs last season than in any of his previous three campaigns at the club, he was deemed surplus to requirements this summer - and he has now revealed to Sky Sports that he felt it was the right time to go.

"I think it was time for me to change and move on," Trippier began. "'I don't necessarily mean that I needed to move on, but things happened behind the scenes at Tottenham, which I don't really want to go into, but I needed to move on from that."

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"I think it was time for me to change and move on. 'I don't necessarily mean that I needed to move on, but things happened behind the scenes at Tottenham, which I don't really want to go into, but I needed to move on from that," he told Sky Sports. 

He went on to reveal how former Premier League stars Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata have helped him settle into life in La Liga, explaining the duo had gone through what it means to play for Atleti.

He added: "The lads have been unbelievable with me. Since I've been through the door they've welcomed me with open arms, the coach as well. Especially those two - Morata and Costa.

"They've been explaining to me what it means to play for Atletico and what it means to the fans."

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Tripper and Atletico are coming on strong in pre-season, recently handing out a 7-3 thrashing to Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup. Atletico finished eight points ahead of their city rivals last season but will be aiming to close the gap to runaway champions Barcelona this time around.