View: Tottenham keeping hold of Mikey Moore is significant for the club’s academy
Too often Spurs have let some of their youngest and brightest stars go before they’ve had the chance to shine.
Fans love nothing more than to see a player develop through their academy and shine in the senior squad, with the pride of having one of their own represent them unmatched.
On too many occasions recently, the club has let talented young players slip through their fingers with a gap beginning to form between the first team and the academy.
David Ornstein’s update via The Atheltic (17 June) suggests Tottenham are finally beginning to learn from their mistakes and put an emphasis on keeping hold of their very own talent.
15-year-old sensation Mikey Moore has committed his future to the club as the winger was beginning to attract interest from other English sides, as well as clubs from across the continent.
The deal will see him move from scholarship to schoolboy papers before he is rewarded with a professional contract upon turning 17.
Although he is yet to celebrate his 16th birthday, Moore is already excelling at age groups as high as the Under-19s, as he featured with the side during last season’s UEFA Youth League. As well as this, he was part of trophy-winning teams with the Under-17s and 18s.
In the Under-18 Premier League, Moore scored three goals and provided four assists and this latest contract development will be seen as a big step for the academy with the club tying down one of the brightest players of his age group in Europe.
While the news is positive, there will be some concerns that Moore still won’t make it to the first-team with Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeting (17 June) that the new deal is only a three-year agreement.
Due to his exceptionally young age, this means a three-year contract only keeps Moore at the club until he turns 18, an age when most academy prospects are still yet to feature among the senior squad.
If this is the case, Spurs will face another challenge on their hands to keep hold of their tricky winger, especially if by this point his performances have seen him attract more interest from clubs around Europe who offer more irresistible proposals.
Tying Moore down to a new deal will not be enough, the club will need to offer him a route to the first team if he continues to shine and show him there is a future within Tottenham and he doesn’t need to make a switch elsewhere as his own teammate Romaine Mundle and former stars Noni Madueke and Marcus Edwards felt the need to do.
This is a good first step for the club, but Tottenham still have work to do to make sure their academy stays strong.
In other Tottenham news, Paul Robinson has made a prediction about a Spurs target.