Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with Bournemouth defender Adam Smith recently.
Andre Villas-Boas once believed there was a pathway into Tottenham Hotspur’s team for Adam Smith, judging by his comments to the Telegraph back in 2012.
Villas-Boas was keen to promote Tottenham’s youngsters into the senior squad, soon after taking charge at White Hart Lane, and Smith was one of three players who he identified as potential first-team stars, alongside Ryan Mason and Tom Carroll.
“We also have Tom Carroll, Ryan Mason and Adam Smith coming through,” Villas-Boas said, five years ago. “They did extremely well for us in pre-season and they will certainly get opportunities during the season.
“The most important message I can tell the players in our youth academy is that there will be many chances if their talent is greater than the talent available in the first team.”
As it panned out, Villas-Boas did not hand Smith any chances after a promising pre-season prior to the 2012/13 campaign, and he was eventually moved on to Bournemouth.
Smith actually suggested that Villas-Boas was the reason behind his exit, but he always aspired to of play for Spurs (HITC).
And, although that dream appeared to have ended at the time, recent reports have suggested that it is still very much alive.
Smith has recently been linked with a move to Tottenham, in the Daily Mirror, if Kyle Walker is to leave White Hart Lane.
Walker has been linked with Manchester City recently, with Mauricio Pochettino contemplating selling the England international (Daily Mail).
And it may that Walker’s potential move finally clears the pathway to Tottenham’s first team, that Villas-Boas tried to create for Smith all those years ago.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
