Tottenham are making a mistake selling player Pep Guardiola called 'really, really good' - Opinion
Tottenham Hotspur are close to agreeing to the sale of a highly-rated youngster, but they may live to regret the decision in a few years.
Making the transition from the Tottenham academy to regularly starting for the first-team is no easy feat. Despite having a reputation for signing young players, Spurs have a disappointing record in recent years of developing their own graduates.
This was obvious for all to see last season. In a period where the Tottenham first-team squad was torn apart by injuries, one would expect their own youth players to be called on.
However, Mikey Moore, the former academy player to have featured the most, only made 22 appearances in all competitions, and many of these were off the bench.
While those graduates at the club receive limited minutes on the pitch, many were sent out on loan. This was the case for Josh Keeley, who had a positive season at Leyton Orient. However, Tottenham have agreed to sell Keeley to Luton Town.
Tottenham are making one key error regarding Josh Keeley
Spurs often may have chosen not to give their academy players chances, but their plan for Keeley up to now has made sense. He has gained valuable experience in League One and kept 16 clean sheets last season.
If the Irishman has decided he wants to leave Tottenham, there is little use in forcing him to stay. Keeley does not count as a homegrown player, and he will not be given a chance in the Spurs first-team while both Guglielmo Vicario and Antonin Kinsky are at the club.
The mistake being made is not the sale itself. Rather, it is that Tottenham have not included a buy-back clause in the deal to sell Keeley, and the Lilywhites will only be getting a £1m fee. Despite this, a sell-on clause has been included because Spurs believe he could develop into a Premier League goalkeeper.
Spurs’ Keeley decision is devoid of logic
Acknowledging a player could one day be good enough for your team, then selling him without the option to re-sign him makes no sense. Tottenham should have the upper hand in any negotiation with Luton Town, and inserting a buy-back clause would be beneficial.
Should Keeley leave Luton for a better club, the money Spurs generate is unlikely to be a massive fee. On the other hand, if the 22-year-old turns out to be a generational talent, Tottenham will live to regret their decision.
His quality is already renowned, as Pep Guardiola branded Keeley ‘really, really good’ after Leyton Orient tested Manchester City in the FA Cup. Why not agree on a deal to bring him back to Hotspur Way in case he unleashes his full potential?
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