Former Premier League playmaker Lewis Holtby believes his lack of experience played a role in that disappointing stint at Tottenham Hotspur earlier in his career, speaking to The Athletic.
Expectations were sky high when one of the brightest talents in the Bundesliga joined Spurs in January 2013, Holtby arriving in North London after making quite the impression at both Mainz and Schalke.
At the time, the thrice-capped German international was one of Europe’s most exciting young midfielders. The fact that there was considerable disappointment, in some quarters, when Holtby opted to represent the country of his birth at international level spoke volumes.
He was also eligible for England, after all.
So when Holtby was on the move again just two years later – joining Hamburg for £5 million after managing 10 Premier League starts in Tottenham colours – it was tempting to wonder what had gone wrong.
Holtby himself believes that a high-profile switch to English football maybe came too soon in his career. He was, it must be said, just 22 years of age when Spurs came calling.
Former Germany international Lewis Holtby struggled at Tottenham Hotspur
“Tottenham are a massive club. I felt the energy there and I think the fans felt my energy,” Holtby reflects.
“I wished I was a different age or had a different mindset at that time. Because I was maybe too naive and inexperienced in that period.”
Holtby’ hopes of securing a regular place in Andre Villas-Boas’ XI were also impacted by the quality of the players ahead of him in the Tottenham pecking order at the time. Christian Erisken, Moussa Dembele, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Erik Lamela, for instance.
“I should have been more patient,” he adds; suggesting that, if he could turn back the clock, he’d maybe take a leaf out of Jude Bellingham’s book. “I had top-class midfielders around me, so game time was always spread (around). But I had the wrong thinking. I always thought I should play or start every game.
“Sometimes it’s about patience, learning from others, getting game-time and then learning. The player with the best mindset right now is Jude Bellingham. He’s 19 but he thinks like a 32-year-old. He’s got it all.”
Now 32, Holtby is in Germany’s second tier with Holstein Kiel these days, following a hit-and-miss spell with Blackburn Rovers. He missed out on a place in Germany’s victorious 2014 World Cup squad too, and has not featured for his country in a decade.
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