Tottenham Hotspur have seen the likes of Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Japhet Tanganga become first-team players having been in the youth ranks, but some players have had to move on.
Not everybody can become a star like Kane, and may well feel that leaving Tottenham’s youth ranks for first-team football elsewhere is their route to prominence.
One such case came in 2018, as Noni Madueke decided to leave Tottenham for a shock move to PSV Eindhoven, picking a move to the Netherlands over a long-term stay at Spurs.
The speedy attacker can play out wide, as a number 10 or up top, and looked to be a major miss for Tottenham when he chose to move on.
Now, Madueke – who is still just 18 – is now playing for PSV’s first team, and he has enjoyed a blistering start to the season over in the Eredivisie.
In six league appearances this season, Madueke already has two goals and three assists to his name, making himself a star for the Dutch giants.
Roger Schmidt appears to have taken a shine to Madueke, and is giving the teenager plenty of playing time despite having a host of other attacking talents at his disposal.
Spurs fans may now fear that Madueke will become the new Jadon Sancho, in terms of him being a speedy English wide man who heads off to Europe in search of playing time before becoming a sensation.
Things could yet get even worse for Tottenham, as the Daily Mail reported back in January that Arsenal want to bring Madueke back to North London.
Seeing Madueke shine in the Netherlands is bad enough, but if he ends up coming back to England – especially with a London rival – then Spurs will be left cursing his decision to leave back in 2018.
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