Former Leeds United man details key stumbling block to potential summer transfer 'coup'

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer does not expect Tottenham Hotspur to let Oliver Skipp leave this summer - but admits it would be a ‘massive coup’ if he were to join Daniel Farke’s side for their 2024/25 Championship promotion campaign.

Skipp has recently emerged as a surprise transfer target for Leeds, with the Athletic describing the 23-year-old as a ‘player of interest’ if there are midfield exits this summer. Archie Gray has attracted plenty of Premier League suitors, although the club are desperate to keep their academy star, while reports of Borussia Dortmund interest in Ilia Gruev has fuelled uncertainty over his future, with one or two key sales expected in order to remain compliant with profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

Having enjoyed an early taste of senior football on loan at Norwich City in 2020/21, Skipp has worked under Farke and played a crucial role in midfield as the Canaries won the Championship title. But Ange Postecoglou regularly used the England youth international off the bench last season and Palmer insists that unless there are midfield reinforcements at Tottenham, they will be reluctant to lose anyone.

“Leeds United and their manager Daniel Farke is keen to revisit one of his former players that he took on loan from Spurs to Norwich, Oliver Skipp,” Palmer told Football League World. “Oliver Skipp is a tremendously talented 23-year-old from Spurs, Farke took him to Norwich in 2021 where they eventually won the Championship at a canter. While he has played and has some game time at Spurs, he’s not playing regularly, so a loan move would make a lot of sense. A stumbling block could be his £40,000-a-week salary.

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“I think Leeds are bracing themselves for offers for Archie Gray or [Ilia] Gruev. There’s still a lot of interest in [Wilfried] Gnonto and [Crysencio] Summerville, so again it’s going to be a busy summer for Leeds in terms of goings-in and out. But knowing that the league is strong, as it was last season, Leeds will be looking to go one further and, obviously, with the potential of Oliver Skipp, he knows what Oliver Skipp can do. Oliver Skipp has been there and won the Championship, this would be a fantastic signing, if Leeds can pull it off.

“It will be interesting to see because wherever he’s come into the Tottenham side, he’s done very well in the Premier League, so I’m not so sure they’ll want to let him out on loan. I think he played over 20 games for Spurs last season, but he will want more game time. This is a very unlikely transfer for me, but unless Tottenham have different ideas for bringing players in, then it’s possibly a move that can work out. This would be a massive coup for Leeds United, and give the supporters great optimism given Skipp was part of that Norwich City side that won the Championship in 2021.”