Tottenham player Ange Postecoglou had exciting plans for finds new club

Ange Postecoglou once had high hopes for Matthew Craig at Tottenham, but the midfielder has now found himself a new club.

Tottenham announced earlier this month that Craig would depart North London upon the expiry of his contract.

The 23-year-old has not taken long to find a new club, having put pen to paper on a three-year deal with Port Vale.

Craig made just one senior appearance for Spurs, with the majority of his time spent out on loan.

After temporary spells with Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley and Mansfield Town, the Barnet-born ace has now found himself a new permanent home.

He will now get the chance to show what he is capable of further down the pyramid, but things could have turned out a lot different.

Ange Postecoglou gave Matthew Craig a chance to prove himself

Postecoglou is long gone at Tottenham, of course, but many of the players at the club under his tutelage still remain.

That includes young players at the time, although more and more of those appear to be moving on.

Indeed, Craig is one of many former academy players to have exited Hotspur Way this summer.

Back in June 2023 when Spurs hired Postecoglou, he called up Craig to senior training.

Craig was joined by Dane Scarlett and Alfie Devine, with the trio handpicked to fill the void left by other star names not yet being back in training.

Scarlett's Spurs career has yet to take off, and nor has Devine's, but at least they are still on the books.

It was reported at the time that Postecoglou wanted to use these youngsters as a way of showing there is a pathway to the first team.

Unfortunately, that has not really been true for a while now - as these recent exits have highlighted.

Those exciting plans Ange had in mind came to nothing, with the youngsters simply not getting a look-in.

How many minutes did Tottenham hand to academy graduates in 2025-26?

Beyond a record signing being made, there is nothing fans of any club love more than seeing 'one of our own' come through the ranks.

But those have been few and far between, with just 99 minutes afforded to academy graduates last season.

Callum Olusesi, James Rowswell, Luca Williams-Barnett and Jun'ai Byfield are all said to have promising futures, but will that be in N17?

As for Craig, who made his debut just before Postecoglou took charge, it is fair to say he was never going to make it at Spurs at the age of 23.

That is not to say he cannot still have a very successful career, however, with Port Vale seeming a good step to play regularly and enjoy himself.