Tottenham seal agreement as 'best defender in the country' for age signs paperwork

Tottenham have developed a history of producing top players through the club's academy over the years.

The likes of Ledley King and, more recently, Harry Kane were developed into top players in the Spurs youth teams.

After producing arguably one of the best strikers in Kane, Tottenham have now secured a new contract for a youngster tipped to be the best defender for their age.

Tottenham's Jun'Ai Byfield signs two-year scholarship

Last season proved that Tottenham is an attractive prospect for young players, with the likes of Archie Gray and academy graduate Mikey Moore featuring for the first team.

Next season, 16-year-old Jun'Ai Byfield could follow in their footsteps, having signed a two-year scholarship, according to Lilywhite Rose on X (30 June).

Byfield, born in 2008, has represented England's under-17 squad three times and has become a regular in Tottenham's youth team.

Having been the first choice in the Spurs’ youth side for some time, the young defender has also trained with the senior first-team squad.

With defence an area Tottenham are wanting to improve, Byfield could find himself closer to the starting XI next season.

There is already uncertainty regarding fellow defender Cristian Romero's future, with Radu Dragusin the next in line in terms of cover for the Argentine and Micky van de Ven.

Byfield had only signed a two-year scholarship last November, but Daniel Levy was keen to extend his stay and fend off potential interest from elsewhere.

Byfield will be a future Tottenham star

If Spurs can manage to keep Byfield, the North London club could potentially be playing with the best centre-back in the world at the heart of their defence.

Tottenham have shown their trust in youngsters in recent years, which has brought them contrasting fortunes.

In 2019, a young Spurs squad, including the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Winks, guided the Lilywhites to the Champions League final.

Last season, despite a poor domestic season, Tottenham again showed how their faith in youngsters can pay off with their Europa League win.

Now, Thomas Frank can continue his trend of developing young players, with Byfield one of those he will be keeping an eye on.