If you listen to our podcast, which is like a blog but for your ears, then every so often I provide a loan update on our players away from the club however I have been asked a few times to put together a piece to better explain the loan system, why I feel it is important and provide an update on those away from our club currently.
So let us begin with who left us on loan in the summer and where they went.
Ryan Sessegnon – Hoffenheim – Bundesliga
Juan Foyth – Villareal – La Liga
Troy Parrott – Millwall – Championship
Oliver Skipp – Norwich – Championship
Carter-Vickers – Bournemouth – Championship
TJ Eyoma – Lincoln – League One
Shilow Tracey – Shrewsbury Town – League One
Jack Roles – Burton Albion – League One
Kaz Sterling – Southend Utd – League Two
Josh Oluwayemi – Maidenhead Utd – National League
Some of the loans listed above were for a full season but some only until January so at the time of writing this Sterling, Roles and Oluwayemi have returned to the club and are back with the academy teams. However another player has also left on loan with Jubril Okedina joining Cambridge Utd in League Two for the rest of the season.
The players that have returned could yet be going back out and could be interesting to see where or if they do. The loans for the first part of the season did not really work out for any of them in term of getting a lot of minutes and impressing.
Both Roles and Sterling have contracts which run until this summer only so what happens next for them is key in their potential careers going forward and also for the club in terms of potential financial remuneration for them. Despite high hopes for both of these players at different times (Jack Roles he scores goals) it seems clear now that its just not going to work out for them at the club.
The senior players currently out on loan however is a different story.
Juan Foyth.
Despite an almost emotional fair well upon his departure and there being an agreed fee built into the loan for the Spanish club to buy the young Argentinian defender it would appear (lots of games yet to play of course) that this option will not be taken up and in the summer Foyth will return to North London. The loan has not been bad, however also not good in terms of starting regularly or overly impressing when he does. He is a player who needs games week in and week out to develop and also a young man who under Pochettino was being re-trained as a right back to both fill a need at Spurs and also Argentina who view the right side of their defense as a problem area.
As I said above, right now it looks like they wont take up the option however who knows what will happen in the second half of the season. It is to be hoped for the player he can impress and nail down a place as a return to Spurs would surely be a stop gap before he is shipped off again as Tottenham struggle with their non home grown player quota.
Ryan Sessegnon.
Ryan has had a frustrating time since joining us from Fulham. He was desperate to make the move as was very keen to work with Pochettino who saw him as a dynamic and attacking winger, a position the player also saw himself filling however as we all know he arrived at the club injured and before he really got to even train under the Argentine coach he was replaced by Jose Mourinho.
Jose made it clear that from the start he did not know what position truly fitted Sessegnon and played him as a left back, left wing back and wide left forward when playing him at all. During the summer the player and Spurs coaches made the decision he would focus on being a left back / wing back and go out on loan to get weekly game time in that position. A loan to Germany, the home of many good young English players, was agreed and off he went.
Sadly the loan did not start well with a few inconsistent displays leading to some quite shocking racist abuse being thrown at him from fans of his adopted club. The team there however rallied around him and perhaps it was that show of solidarity and friendship that enabled him to settle and since then his performances have been of a very good standard both in terms of his defensive work and going forward, often arriving late to an attack on the overlap and getting chances (scoring two very important winners for Hoffenheim this season).
It is to be hoped in the second half of the season he continues to work hard and play as often as possible to really nail down this role. The view at Tottenham is with him and Reguilon the left side of the defense is set for some years to come. Where does that leave Ben Davies? … maybe a permanent both to filling a central defender slot or perhaps a move out the door all together next summer, we shall have to wait and see.
Oliver Skipp.
Hailed as a future captain of the club by every coach who has ever worked with him in the academy, including our current manager Jose Mourinho it has been no surprise to me at all to see him with games impress so much. I first saw Skipp play when he had just turned 17 and was dominating a midfield in the U23’s. He was already at that young age head and shoulders above many in terms of ability and was clearly a very determined young man in every sense, something Norwich fans are seeing and enjoying weekly.
Skipp is one of only two Norwich players to have played every League game so far this season and is hailed as one of the key players for the Canaries. Skipp’s performances have been so good that Jose recently admitted that there had been some discussions over cutting his loan short and bringing him to supplement the first team for the second part of the season however (in my opinion) smarter decision making prevailed and Skipp has stayed on loan in East Anglia.
Playing in the deepest midfield role he is covering just like Hojbjerg is for the first team and is also not afraid to bring the ball forward and distribute well. I would not be surprised to see Skipp next season, if his development continues like it has so far, replace Sissoko in our side and forming a quite formidable partnership with Hojbjerg.
Troy Parrott.
The Republic of Ireland international is just 18 years old (turns 19 4th Feb) and this is his first loan. Sadly for him before he could get going he suffered an injury which has curtailed his development this season but in a promising sign, despite having an option to end his loan in January Millwall managements absolutely scoffed at the idea and were even said to be alarmed that Spurs might recall him. Harris, the Millwall manager, has said they can see just how good a player he is and with games, which he is now getting, goals will come.
From a purely selfish Spurs perspective I would like to see him start as many games as possible in the second half of the season and of course get in amongst the goals. He is working towards full fitness and also learning the difference between academy football and league football in terms of demands. He is a young man and the future is very bright for him. This loan in terms of stats might not be looking great right now but the experience is invaluable.
Cameron Carter-Vickers.
The USA international probably feels to many like he has been at the club for over a decade and out on loan for all of that however the surprising reality for some is that he is in fact 23 years old (only just turned 23) but has been talked about as a great prospect at the club since he was 17 and has been involved in first team training and then in turn out on loan since making that break through.
CCV is currently on loan at Bournemouth and has been since the summer however a serious injury upon his arrival has meant he has only, in the last week, made his debut and he is already impressing. Impressing so much in fact that Bournemouth are said to be about to make an offer to Spurs for the player. The rumoured deal would be a sum just under £1m initially with potential add on’s and also a sell on percentage.
It seems to me to be the best idea for all parties if true. CCV has been extending his Tottenham deal to go out on loan for a few years now and has gained a good reputation in the championship where he is playing once again. A permanent deal is going to happen at some point, if an offer comes in now rather than the summer, makes sense to accept it.
TJ Eyoma.
One of the real success stories of the loans this season is TJ. He went to League One side Lincoln and when available plays. He has started practically every game and been involved in more minute of football than anyone at the club could have probably hoped for. Add to that he is playing very well. Looks stronger and fitter than ever and is giving the club a good headache about what comes next for the young man. He is 20 at the time of writing this but turns 21 at the end of January 2021. His loan is set to last until the summer and there is certainly no reason to think it will be cut short.
He has been playing on the right side of central defense but also as a right back when needed. He has all of the natural attributes to be a very good central defender and so what happens next is key here. This is a very good season for him so far and if it continues in the second half as the first then this is has been one of our better loans for some time.
His current contract has him at Spurs until 2023 but I would not be surprised to see that extended by a year and the player sent to a Championship team for next season, should one that would get him minutes be available. Games help players develop more than anything else and as a central defender, who many believe peak in their mid to late 20’s it is all about playing and learning. Positioning and timing all things only playing games can teach a player.
Shilow Tracey.
The 22yr old forward is currently on loan in League Two with Shrewsbury and is having what I would call a standard loan. He is getting minutes, although not every game and has also got amongst the goals – albeit mostly coming in the FA Trophy. He is a player that for some time I felt was likely to be leaving the club and that has not changed. His current deal runs until this summer at Spurs and unless in the second half of the season something dramatic happens I do not see him at the club beyond that.
For him therefore this second part of the season is big. He is playing every minute he gets in the shop window in the hope to earn himself professional terms with someone for the 2021/22 season.
For me the loan system is really important. We have one of the best academies in Europe and something you hear talked about in academy football a lot is the first team pathway. This is all about how do I get from playing here in the U18’s to being the next Harry Kane. At Spurs Kane is of course both the best thing and worst thing to ever happen to the academy. Best as he showed every player in the system you can be world class with hard work and dedication. Worst as it seems every fan expects every debuting academy player to be the next world class superstar like Kane. Expectations that have already killed several young promising talented players.
At Spurs for me under Pochettino the pathway was broken. Many will argue that he elevated many to the first team and therefore he was great for our young players but in truth we lost some fantastic talent under MP’s tenure at our club simply because we did not get them game time / loans when we should have.
There is no one pathway that suits every player. Sometimes you come across a young player so talented he is thrust straight into the first team and away he goes; learning while doing. Think Rooney at Everton but while you think of that realise just how rare that is. Normally players coming through at the elite Premier League clubs are older and have some loans under their belts or at least been allowed to develop more than being 15 or 16 at time of debut in the league and becoming regulars.
The pathway for me should always be about the individual and what they need to get them to being Premier League football players. No, not all will make that but that should always be the target and allow the natural cascade from there. Not all will make it at Spurs and be at the club long term however from an academy you want the majority to have careers in football. This is something that can be achieved with the right coaching (we have that) the right support (that is there) and then by actually playing football.
There is a big step up in terms of physicality between lower academy sides and the U18’s and then another jump to the U23’s but none of it compares to competitive league football where there are always points to play for, something at stake. Andros Townsend when on loan once was flippant about losing the ball and his team conceding, at half time one of the senior players at the club was going to kill him and had to be restrained. If the club had lost that game they would have been dragged into a relegation battle. If relegated hundred would lose their jobs and most of the players would likely be struggling too. These were professionals who had mortgages, families and suddenly the enormity of that hit Andros. Things clicked for him on that loan and going forward.
It is that experience that young players need so that when they get to the Premier League and everything they do is under a microscope and every action has a consequence they are prepared. The loan system for me therefore is essential and a good recent example, as much as it hurts me to say, is Chelsea. Their first team squad had five players who all were in League one or the Championship not that long ago. Each of these players have added to their squad and are playing roles going forward – even being capped by England.
The club need this put in place and although may sound crazy the first team manager / coach should be in charge of that system. They should have input on if a player is ready, should obviously be involved and look at the talent but should not be allowed, as Poch did, to keep a group of youngsters training and not playing games. Walker-Peters, Onomah, Edwards… the list could go on but England youth internationals all who just went stale without playing football.
Going forward the development of these players must be in the hands of those in long term positions. We all know Jose wont be here in a few years time, unless he breaks the habit of a life time, however we want our player pathway to be just as clear no matter who is in charge.
-Admin SJ
