Like most clubs, Tottenham Hotspur have endured their fair share of blunders with regard to letting young players move on over the years, with the likes of Sporting Lisbon starlet Marcus Edwards and footballing icon David Beckham just two of the names to have initially been on the books in north London before blossoming elsewhere.
One further howler that current chairman Daniel Levy has overseen in recent times is the exit of fleet-footed winger Noni Madueke on a free transfer back in 2018, with the 20-year-old having only recently been snapped up by Premier League rivals Chelsea following a fruitful spell in the Netherlands.
The Barnet-born speedster had initially joined the Lilywhites in his early teens following a brief spell at Crystal Palace, notably going on to make his debut for Spurs’ U18 side at the age of just 15 as a marker of his exciting potential.
That rapid development left the youngster hungry to secure a place at first-team level, having duly decided to make the bold move to join Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven in order to realise that ambition.
Reflecting on that decision in a recent interview with The Mirror, the 6 foot winger revealed that he had been craving a shot in the senior ranks, hence his decision to depart Spurs at the age of just 16.
He said: “At 16 year old I felt I was ready for a first team. I backed myself 100 percent. I am very impatient! The quicker you get young talents into first team football the quicker they get ahead of the talent of other nations.”
The frustration for Levy and co will be as to why there was no clear pathway for the promising forward in N17, with Tottenham having been left to rue their inability to keep hold of the “sensational” gem, as he was dubbed by journalist Danny Rust.
As for Madueke, the eye-catching dynamo reaped the rewards of his bravery to move abroad, having made his first start for PSV just a week prior to his 18th birthday, before going on to truly cement himself in the team over the subsequent few seasons.
The England U21 international ultimately racked up 34 goal involvements in 80 games in all competitions for the Eindhoven outfit, while also helping the club to secure the KNVB Cup and the Dutch Super Cup last year.
That impressive form unsurprisingly sparked interest in his services, with the Blues moving swiftly to strike a deal last month for a fee of around £29m, with such a sizeable figure likely to sting as far as Spurs are concerned after letting him depart for nothing five years ago.
While it is still early days with regard to his time at Stamford Bridge, Madueke notably caught the eye on his Chelsea debut in their draw against Fulham last weekend, recording two key passes and completing 100% of his dribbles in that 45-minute cameo.
That brief showing would appear to suggest that he can go on to thrive under Graham Potter moving forward, which would be of real frustration to Tottenham supporters and to Levy.
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