Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for free agent Ted Smith this month.
The name Ted Smith probably doesn’t mean a great deal to Tottenham Hotspur fans, and they would no doubt be surprised to hear of him signing as a free agent.
Smith, 24, is a goalkeeper currently without a club having been released by League One Southend United at the end of last season.
A former England Under-18, 19 and 20 international, Smith was once backed for a big future but managed just 30 first-team appearances for the Shrimpers before moving on.
That’s where his Tottenham story really starts. Smith played for Spurs as a trialist last summer, as noted by Football.London, but wasn’t able to win a deal.
Bizarrely, the reports of a move for Smith returned this month. The Southend Echo reported that Southend had made Smith an offer to return to the club, but Spurs were still interested in signing him on a free transfer.
Nothing has materialised since then, but The Echo now add a new layer to the story; Southend have agreed terms to re-sign Smith, but are under a transfer embargo because of money owed to HMRC.
That leaves Southend and Smith waiting around to complete a deal, and at least gives Tottenham one more chance to sign him as a free agent.
It seems unlikely that Spurs will be all that bothered right now, and adding another goalkeeper is really the least of their worries, even if it might be a position to address in the summer.
If Spurs haven’t moved by now, then landing him in the final stages of the season would be a huge surprise, but if they really are still keen, this latest development will be of interest.
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