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The youth players/on-loan thread 2014-2015
- Thread starter Danishfurniturelover
- Start date
I think Spurs are keeping quiet about him because he can't officially sign for the club yet (still only 16).
According to a few itk reports, he did appear in at least one behind closed doors youth / development squad friendly at the training ground during pre season.
DubaiSpur
Ian Walker
Thank you for the information. Is there a possibility of him being loaned out to get around any work-permit regulations, or will he slot into the youth setup right away once he gets old enough to do so?
Sorry, mate. I've no idea.
I know that there was talk of him going on loan to Celta Vigo until he was eligible for Spurs but that went quiet. For the moment, i think he's still in Nigeria with his club, Muntunchi Academy.
DubaiSpur
Ian Walker
Fair enough, thanks anyway. For what it's worth, I have extremely high hopes for him and Azzaoui, and I want to see them bedded in slowly and carefully, is all.
Cochise
Steve Carr
I watched the England U21 match just to keep an eye on our lads and was suprised Kane didn't get a game, though he may against the France U21's on Monday. Danny Ings started at #9 and got two goals in front of his own fans, which may see him keep his place vs the French. The lad worked hard and has a decent turn of pace.
Tom Carroll played as one of the deep two in a 4231 alongside Forster Caskey, whilst Will Hughes played as the more advanced #10. They were however very fluid in their positions and while it's fair to say Hughes was the most advanced, at any time any one of the three could be found in eachothers positions. Carroll had a fairly quiet night. He got the ball forward quickly, knitted play together and as always made an option for the pass. He was also looking to dictate the play when the ball was back with our CB's usually pointing where the ball should go etc. Defensively he won quite a few tackles and actually was very intelligent when pressing. He could be at fault for the Portugese goal but it's one of those where he was probably holding his position as told to. On the hour mark he moved into the #10 slot, but the second half was really quite scrappy and Portugal saw more of the ball.
Pritchard came on for half an hour and did OK. He earned a free kick on the edge of the box and then had to fight half his team to take it. Really though England did very little going forward in the second half. Southgate seems to want his team to build from the back, but the CB's aren't brilliant with their feet. This is made worse by the fact that Butland just thumps the ball when under the slightest pressure. The lad does not have the ability to play short passes or at least doesn't have the confidence. In the first half it wasn't as bad, but in the second the Portuguese harried him a lot and won back the ball after his kick 9 times out of 10. Redmond did alright but he does have a massive Townsend complex; cuts in all the time and either runs into traffic or shoots wide. When he does the right thing England looked dangerous.
Carlos Mane came on for Portugal and looked a decent talent. Quick and tricky, he pulled off a lovely reverse pass to make the assist for Portugal's goal.
Tom Carroll played as one of the deep two in a 4231 alongside Forster Caskey, whilst Will Hughes played as the more advanced #10. They were however very fluid in their positions and while it's fair to say Hughes was the most advanced, at any time any one of the three could be found in eachothers positions. Carroll had a fairly quiet night. He got the ball forward quickly, knitted play together and as always made an option for the pass. He was also looking to dictate the play when the ball was back with our CB's usually pointing where the ball should go etc. Defensively he won quite a few tackles and actually was very intelligent when pressing. He could be at fault for the Portugese goal but it's one of those where he was probably holding his position as told to. On the hour mark he moved into the #10 slot, but the second half was really quite scrappy and Portugal saw more of the ball.
Pritchard came on for half an hour and did OK. He earned a free kick on the edge of the box and then had to fight half his team to take it. Really though England did very little going forward in the second half. Southgate seems to want his team to build from the back, but the CB's aren't brilliant with their feet. This is made worse by the fact that Butland just thumps the ball when under the slightest pressure. The lad does not have the ability to play short passes or at least doesn't have the confidence. In the first half it wasn't as bad, but in the second the Portuguese harried him a lot and won back the ball after his kick 9 times out of 10. Redmond did alright but he does have a massive Townsend complex; cuts in all the time and either runs into traffic or shoots wide. When he does the right thing England looked dangerous.
Carlos Mane came on for Portugal and looked a decent talent. Quick and tricky, he pulled off a lovely reverse pass to make the assist for Portugal's goal.
Denmark Spur
Edgar Davids
One to keep an eye on for the future
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...tml?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
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Tottenham starlet Keanan Bennetts dividing his playing time between England AND Germany as countries fight over teenager
Tottenham teenager has played at youth level for both countries
Exciting winger eligible for England, Germany and Nigeria
Keanan Bennetts will take his time before deciding who values him most
Tottenham teenager Keanan Bennetts is in the unique position of playing for England AND Germany. And even Nigeria have tried to convince the 15-year-old to join them, too.
Bennetts qualifies for all three nations through his German mother, Nicole, Nigerian father, Richard, and being born in Edgware, London.
The exciting winger – known for his blistering pace and technique – has been turning heads with his performances for Tottenham's youth sides, which have prompted a three-way tug of war for his services.
The German national team first called him for a trial earlier this year. They had spotted Bennetts playing for Spurs in youth tournaments in Germany and, when they learned of his eligibility, emailed the family to see if he was interested in a trial.
Of 130 kids, Bennetts – who speaks fluent German – made it down to the final 18 and has since played in friendlies, including against Holland, for their Under 16 side. He has joined up for training camps three times.
Soon after, England began to show interest in the player, keen not to be out-manoeuvred by their bitter rivals, and he has featured in their recent Victory Shield matches against Wales and Northern Ireland.
'As soon as Germany came in for him England invited him to play for them,' his father Richard told Sportsmail. 'He's the only kid to play for Germany at that level and not be at a German club.
'It's tough playing for both teams but very exciting. Keanan has a strong German background from his grandparents, he's been visiting there three times a year since he was born.
'With England he probably feels slightly more settled as he has some of his Spurs team-mates in the team as well.'
Bennetts' performances for Tottenham's Under 16s and Under 17s have been attracting attention. Last month he starred in an Under 17 tournament, held at Arsenal's Hale End academy, which Spurs won. It included Real Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal.
Nigeria were next to come calling, with their national team manager Stephen Keshi ringing Richard to see if Bennetts would represent them.
At present, Keanan's father considers Nigeria and the distances his son would have to travel as too big a commitment, but they have not ruled out representing them in the future. Richard remains in touch Keshi.
Under FIFA rules until he wins a senior cap, he will be able to play for any nation he is eligible for.
'He doesn't have to make a final decision now,' Richard added. 'There will be no rushing. We don't want to shut any doors. He can mix and match. He'll keep playing as much as possible until he gets the feel of who values him the most.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...tml?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
********
Tottenham starlet Keanan Bennetts dividing his playing time between England AND Germany as countries fight over teenager
Tottenham teenager has played at youth level for both countries
Exciting winger eligible for England, Germany and Nigeria
Keanan Bennetts will take his time before deciding who values him most
Tottenham teenager Keanan Bennetts is in the unique position of playing for England AND Germany. And even Nigeria have tried to convince the 15-year-old to join them, too.
Bennetts qualifies for all three nations through his German mother, Nicole, Nigerian father, Richard, and being born in Edgware, London.
The exciting winger – known for his blistering pace and technique – has been turning heads with his performances for Tottenham's youth sides, which have prompted a three-way tug of war for his services.
The German national team first called him for a trial earlier this year. They had spotted Bennetts playing for Spurs in youth tournaments in Germany and, when they learned of his eligibility, emailed the family to see if he was interested in a trial.
Of 130 kids, Bennetts – who speaks fluent German – made it down to the final 18 and has since played in friendlies, including against Holland, for their Under 16 side. He has joined up for training camps three times.
Soon after, England began to show interest in the player, keen not to be out-manoeuvred by their bitter rivals, and he has featured in their recent Victory Shield matches against Wales and Northern Ireland.
'As soon as Germany came in for him England invited him to play for them,' his father Richard told Sportsmail. 'He's the only kid to play for Germany at that level and not be at a German club.
'It's tough playing for both teams but very exciting. Keanan has a strong German background from his grandparents, he's been visiting there three times a year since he was born.
'With England he probably feels slightly more settled as he has some of his Spurs team-mates in the team as well.'
Bennetts' performances for Tottenham's Under 16s and Under 17s have been attracting attention. Last month he starred in an Under 17 tournament, held at Arsenal's Hale End academy, which Spurs won. It included Real Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal.
Nigeria were next to come calling, with their national team manager Stephen Keshi ringing Richard to see if Bennetts would represent them.
At present, Keanan's father considers Nigeria and the distances his son would have to travel as too big a commitment, but they have not ruled out representing them in the future. Richard remains in touch Keshi.
Under FIFA rules until he wins a senior cap, he will be able to play for any nation he is eligible for.
'He doesn't have to make a final decision now,' Richard added. 'There will be no rushing. We don't want to shut any doors. He can mix and match. He'll keep playing as much as possible until he gets the feel of who values him the most.'
There are (or were) a few videos online of Spurs competing in (and winning) an U15 tournament in Riga within the last year or so.
Keanan Bennetts was one of Spurs' stars.
Just google "Spurs Riga Cup" and go to videos. All the games are up there. There are also the videos from the U14 tournament, which Spurs also won.
Gutter Boy
Tim Sherwood
England or Germany - it's not the hardest decision to make is it! World cup winners with an outstanding grass roots infrastructure, versus a rapidly declining nation with a youth football system still stuck in the 80s.
The worst thing is that we were in a comparable situation in 2004. Germany chose major structural reform, whilst we kept our head in the sand and still have it buried there.
The worst thing is that we were in a comparable situation in 2004. Germany chose major structural reform, whilst we kept our head in the sand and still have it buried there.
That's a largely irrelevant observation given that this kid is already thriving in the English youth system, playing for a club with a forward thinking approach to youth development. Opting to play for Germany won't change any of that. Unless you're suggesting that he should leave Spurs and join a German club instead?
By the way, it seems that you haven't been paying attention to the changes in youth football in England. There has been major reform here too in the past couple of years - although Spurs were already well ahead of the game in that respect.
And you can already see the evidence in the results and performances of England's younger age groups - regularly beating and outplaying their counterparts from other top footballing nations.
England's biggest problem isn't so much in the development of young players. It's in affording these young players an easy transition between youth football and first team football. Too many of the best young English players find their path to the first team blocked by the bloated squads of foreign players, common to top Premier League clubs.
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Gutter Boy
Tim Sherwood
He's not thriving in the England youth system. He's thriving in the Tottenham youth system.
We and a handful of other clubs - Southampton, Everton, Liverpool etc. - have taken things into our own hands and are modernising inspite of the FA/national co-ordination. It's no coincidence that technically capable players like Barkley, Shaw, Stones, Sterling, Kane and Mason are only emerging from these clubs. 90% of football league clubs are still producing principally 'triers'.
The Tottenham Hotspur youth system is a constituent part of the English youth system.
Opting to play senior football for Germany's national team will have zero effect on his development, since his real day to day development will continue at Tottenham Hotspur - in England. The only way in which Germany will materially effect his continued development is if he were to leave Spurs now and sign for a German club instead. And since Spurs has one of the best youth set ups in European football currently, that would be a rather pointless move.
By the way, Stones isn't an Everton academy graduate. They signed him from Barnsley. And Sterling isn't really a Liverpool product. They signed him from QPR. Plenty of other clubs are producing exciting talent.
I repeat, you seem to have missed what is happening in youth development in English football. The evidence is there in both the results and performances in the younger age groups against comparable football countries.
Gutter Boy
Tim Sherwood
But in Germany it's all part of a central strategic framework, developed by Klinsmann and Low a decade ago. All clubs play their part working towards a common goal (producing players capable of winning the WC for Germany). They have ingrained philosophies, systems, measures etc., that permeate all parts.
It's not so much the development of the individuals from progressive clubs that will be affected. It's that their peer group will be much poorer. They'll go through youth football and end up in the senior side alongside the same old cloggers who thrive in our football culture.
I'm a bit hesitant to put much faith in youth level results. England traditionally overachieve in youth football because they value physicality over technique - basically young Ryan Shawcrosses kick lumps out of the young Messis.
Until I see a squad full of players as technical as the likes of Barkley, Shaw, Sterling, Kane, I'll remain sceptical that we are making genuine progress, and that these aren't isolated cases (like the Hoddles, Gascogines, Beardsleys and Sheringhams of the past have been).
Gutter Boy
Tim Sherwood
That reminds me of the story of how Mel Johnson (just sacked by Redknapp and picked up by Comolli) scouted Sterling having a kickaround literally in Tim Sherwood's back garden (it's in this book - www.amazon.co.uk/The-Nowhere-Men-Michael-Calvin/dp/1780891075). Lucky our Loans-to-Swindon man could spot talent.