Midfielder insists he was right to leave Spurs amidst Arsenal links

Former Tottenham Hotspur youngster Noni Madueke has claimed that he was right to leave the Lilywhites a couple of seasons ago in search of first-team football.

Madueke came up through the Tottenham ranks, captaining the Spurs Under-16’s and was thought of very highly at the club.

In 2018, the midfielder decided to leave the North London club to join Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven in search of more first-team opportunities (Football.London).

His decision has now proven to be the right one as the 17-year-old has broken into the PSV first-team this season after impressing in the club’s development ranks last season.

The Daily Mail claim that Arsenal want to bring Madueke back to North London while RB Leipzig and Wolves are also said to be keen on landing him.

The teenager has talked about how he wanted to follow the example set by Jadon Sancho as he just couldn’t see himself getting opportunities at Spurs as a teenager, claiming that most players only break into the first team in their twenties.

Speaking to Voetbal International, Madueke said: “He (Sancho) has opened the eyes to other talents. Also for me. A year after him I went from Spurs to PSV.

“The plan that I had in mind then now works out the way I intended it. In England, it is very difficult as a young talent to come to the first team, especially at the larger clubs.

“The squads are very large, there is little room for youngsters. They often stay in reserve teams for a long time or they are loaned out. There is little flow or chance to breakthrough. That is completely different in the Netherlands.

“I wanted to be in the first team as young as possible, at the age of seventeen or eighteen. At a club like Tottenham Hotspur that is not feasible, you only come into the picture around the age of twenty.

“That is why I chose PSV two years ago and what happens now with all the opportunities I get is exactly what I had in mind at the time. My choice has proved to be the right one.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The number of young talents we have lost over the last few years points to the fact that there is a structural problem with respect to the lack of a pathway to the first team for academy products. However, we are hardly the only big club that is currently in this situation. Let’s hope the likes of Parrott and Skipp don’t get tempted to leave in search of first-team action.

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