- EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey
Tottenham Hotspur are confident that will keep Mikey Moore despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid with a first-team role awaiting the teenager next season at the Premier League outfit.
HITC understands that, despite speculation suggesting that Spurs could lose the England Under 17 international shortly after be became their youngest ever top-flight debutant, such reports are wide of the mark.
Sources speaking on behalf of Tottenham insist that they have no concerns about losing Mikey Moore this summer.
They have also denied claims that Manchester United and rivals Man City have put forward offers for the highly-rated 16-year-old midfielder, though HITC have been told that Real Madrid, PSG and Borussia Dortmund were certainly ‘serious’ about testing his loyalty.
Tottenham Hotspur confident of keeping Mikey Moore
What’s more, while Moore and his camp have had contact with some of the biggest clubs outside of English shores, there is a belief that – both from the player and his representatives – he would be better off staying put and continuing his development under Ange Postecoglou.
The former Celtic boss is an excellent developer of young talent.
It speaks volumes about the regard in which Moore is held, meanwhile, that Postecoglou felt he was ready to step onto the first-team stage against Man City no less at the end of last term.
“I thought it was important (to give him a chance),” Postecoglou told the Spurs website after that 2-0 home defeat by Pep Guardiola’s side. “We’ve had him training with us for a while.
“I’ve been trying to see if we can get him some game time, because we’ve kept him out of the (under) 21s as well. It’s a bit of a reward for him for working hard in the last two, three weeks as part of the first team squad, to give him that experience.
“He still has a long way to go, he’s only 16. But he’s a good kid and hopefully that encourages him.”
HITC understands that Moore is expected to feature more regularly in Postecoglou’s plans next term. There are currently no thoughts about loaning the teenager out.
Lukas Bergvall, the one-time Barcelona target and January addition from Djurgardens is also expected to play a first-team role alongside £35 million acquisition Archie Gray.
Gray may be only 18 but he arrives from Leeds having featured in over 40 Championship games across 2023/24.
Archie Gray joins Spurs’ exciting array of teen talent
“He is versatile. We’ve seen him play at full-back, we’ve seen him play in midfield,” the former England international Darren Bent, who spent two years in North London from 2007 to 2009 tells talkSPORT (1 July, 12pm).
“He passes the ball, he gets on the ball, he’s comfortable in possession. Clearly, going to Tottenham with Ange Postecoglou and the young players they’ve got in that squad, it is about potential.”
Moore, like Gray, has caught the eye representing England at youth level.
The former is already building quite the collection of stunning goals in reserve-team football too, including his wonderful curling effort against Spain recently.
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