Confirmed: Tottenham reach agreement with Grasshopper Club Zurich for permanent Maksim Paskotsi sale
Tottenham have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Grasshopper Club Zürich for the sale of young defender Maksim Paskotsi on a permanent transfer.
The club confirmed on their website (6 September) that the youngster will be making the move across to Switzerland on a permanent deal having spent three years in North London.
Paskotsi joined the Tottenham youth setup back in 2020 after turning out for FC Flora Tallinn back in his native Estonia and has been a regular feature for the youth sides and made one first-team appearance against Pacos de Ferreira in their first leg UEFA Europa Conference League play-off tie in August 2021.
First team opportunity
It was reported in June by Football London that Postecoglou has identified two of the academy centre-backs who he will be keen to take a closer look at during pre-season with the talented Paskotsi being one of those names.
And the fact that the Australian coach wanted to get a look clearly showed he had the talent to make the grade at the club but a move away now surely seems the perfect route for the 20-year-old to discover himself through first-team opportunities.
Named on the bench a couple of times that 2021/22 season as he was selected in the matchday squad for the FA Cup tie against Morecambe and also the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg showdown against Chelsea, Paskotsi never went on to add to his solitary Tottenham appearance as the majority of his football came in Premier League 2.
The 20-year-old did manage to get plenty of experience under his belt on the international stage, however, as following his international debut for Estonia against the Czech Republic in March 2021 he’s gone on to make 18 senior appearances.
Given Tottenham’s defensive business over the summer, it seemed unlikely the Estonian was going to be given first-team chances this season and this transfer across to Switzerland may just be the big step he needs to fully realise his potential and seize his opportunity as he enters the pivotal period of his young career.
At 20 years old, Paskotsi certainly needs to be playing first team and while there may have been a route for him in North London, it was certainly unlikely to be immediate especially with Tottenham now only participating in the Premier League and FA Cup this season, after their EFL Cup second round exit.
It was best for all parties, especially Paskotsi that he sought pastures new.
In other Tottenham news, a forgotten Spurs full-back may feel like a new signing under Postecoglou.