Jayden Meghoma has cited a better pathway into the first-team at Southampton as the reason he left Tottenham to join the Saints.
Southampton announced the capture of Meghoma this week, just a week after their signing of another Spurs academy youngster in the form of Sam Amo-Ameyaw.
The Athletic revealed that the defender and winger have moved to the South Coast on an initial scholarship deal as neither of them is eligible to sign a professional contract until they turn 17.
The report explained that both players are initially expected to go into the Saints’ academy rather than straight into Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first-team set-up, with the Lilywhites receiving a compensation fee of £1m for the pair.
Meghoma has now opened upon the reason behind swapping North London for the South Coast, describing the pathway at Southampton as one of the best in the English top flight.
The versatile defender said (via Hampshire Live): “I think it’s one of the best pathways in the Premier League. There’s a very clear pathway as a youth.
“I’m a defender but I’m a very attacking one, I feel like I can attack really well, and I can defend really well, and I have a unique trait of my speed as well. Everyone is welcoming, and they’ve made it feel like home straight away.”
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Southampton’s head of youth recruitment, Dan Rice, also spoke of his delight at snapping up the 16-year-old.
He said: “We are delighted to complete the signing of Jayden [Meghoma], who adds to our current England U17 player cohort.
“Jayden is an exciting acquisition for the academy and for the future of the club. Jayden is a modern-day left-back, who possesses a confident ball-playing manner combined with an energetic capacity to his game.
“He is dominant in defensive one-v-one duels and provides excellent technical qualities in attacking moments.”
Spurs Web Opinion
More and more Tottenham youngsters are going to prefer to move to a club like Southampton, where the pathway to the first-team is more straightforward. It is up to the Lilywhites to demonstrate (potentially with the likes of Scarlett and Devine) that academy prospects can become key first-team players.
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