The Lilywhites made a huge error by allowing a £26m-rated whiz to leave for free.
Tottenham Hotspur has played host to some of the world’s finest footballing talent, with Real Madrid one of the great beneficiaries of their talent identification and production.
Both Gareth Bale and Luka Modric traded north London for the Spanish capital, and in their own way had huge impacts on the continued success of such a historic establishment.
Whether it be through shrewd transfers or the steady production of academy graduates, even the Lilywhites’ current first-team squad has seen some young stars begin to break through, as Oliver Skipp, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie and more are all beginning to make names for themselves despite their inexperience.
This is clearly a venture that is bringing early-tenure success for Ange Postecolgou, at least, who has enjoyed a blistering start to life at his new club. Having left Celtic for Spurs in the summer, already his side sits second in the Premier League, unbeaten despite hard-fought encounters with Brentford and Manchester United.
What makes the job he has done even more impressive is the manner in which they have claimed such results, dressing performances up in an all-action, attractive brand of football that has brought some belief back to a fanbase that had previously been devoid of it.
Despite the unbridled positivity, with each passing year, a decision made over a decade ago to let a certain Noni Madueke depart continues to haunt the club regardless of their progress.
Did Noni Madueke play for Spurs?
As Chelsea’s ridiculous spending spree continues to go on, many of their acquisitions thus far could easily have gotten lost in the vast influx of players they welcomed.
Noni Madueke marks one of these men, who despite being brought in for a mouth-watering £29m last January, has failed to command a starting spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s side this term.
The Englishman had been tearing up the Dutch top flight, and the expectation was that in time he could translate his blistering form into a starring role at Stamford Bridge. Given he is just 21 years old, that promise still remains.
His rapid rise to the top of the game, whilst admirable to see from an outsider’s point of view, will be a frustrating one for the Spurs hierarchy given they allowed the wide man to leave for free as his search for first-team football proved more than what they could offer.
In an interview with Sky Sports, he actually remained largely positive about the academy where he first began his footballing journey: “Tottenham was a great academy and they’ve got a great development plan. I’d been offered a scholarship agreement at Tottenham but I’d seen a lot of the boys – that were good as well – just kind of get lost in the system and I just didn’t want that for me.
Spurs’ Most Decorated Academy Stars
Major Trophies Won
David Beckham
12
Noni Madueke
1
Peter Crouch
1
Cameron Carter-Vickers
5
“Going to PSV is not going to harm my development at all and if I’m good enough, I’m going to play quick in the first team, so that was really my mindset. I’m thinking ‘if I jump the queue, I’ll just be better than all my peers because whilst they’re playing Under-18’s and Under-21’s, I’ll be playing against men.”
Writer Bobby Vincent also sought to outline his growth, and what his new club expect from the £26m-rated winger:
“There’s a genuine belief from senior officials at Chelsea that the former Spurs youngster can develop into a world-class talent at Cobham. Madueke is a really exciting footballer to watch and he will certainly cause problems for full-backs thanks to his blistering speed, his fearlessness and his directness with the ball at his feet.”
Should he meet these expectations, Tottenham’s regret will only grow as Madueke’s ceiling continues to rise.
How good is Noni Madueke?
Not only would the Lilywhites have boosted their chances of earning the kind of huge fee that PSV Eindhoven did by keeping ahold of the silky star, but also were he under Postecoglou’s tutelage now, he would surely thrive within his system.
After all, in his final full year before leaving the Eredivisie, he would post 15 goal contributions across all competitions before he drew interest from some of Europe’s elite.
It is also worth noting that, when compared to other wingers across Europe, the Englishman ranks in the top 1% for progressive carries, successful take-ons and touches in the attacking penalty area, all per 90, via FBref.
Should Madueke add some cutting-edge to his play, the danger he already poses could turn into a true tangible threat to the rest of the division.
After all, his tendency to drift infield from the right onto his favoured left foot unsurprisingly draws comparisons with Bukayo Saka, not to mention their shared desperation to embarrass defenders in a one-on-one situation.
Last term saw the England international post 14 goals and 11 assists in the league alone, with the 21-year-old the perfect modern-day winger as he sticks tight to the touchline to uphold Mikel Arteta’s system.
He is slow and methodical when in possession, yet in a flash can bypass the full-back with a burst of speed. This is a trait he shares with Madueke, with the Chelsea man having lauded his fellow Nigerian-born star: “We played against each other all the time in the youth teams. He was always a great player, very efficient in front of goal. The game came easy to him. He was like a fish in water. I’m happy for what he’s doing right now.”
Saul Isaksson-Hurst, who has aided the Blues’ forward as a personal training coach, spoke to the Daily Mail about just how excited he is to watch his client shine in his homeland, and fully expects him to one day reach Saka’s level. He claimed: “He’s a mentality monster. He wants to work harder than everyone else.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best young forward player in Europe. He’s a really dynamic and exciting player and one who likes to take players on and create things. He’s box office and that’s what all supporters like to see.
“There’s an end product too so he’s exciting to watch and I’m sure Chelsea fans will enjoy having him at the club and seeing him scoring goals and providing assists.”
Although those fans are yet to be treated to that promised end product, with Madueke having only scored twice since joining, it does seem like all the attributes are in place for him to one day look down upon the rest of the Premier League having conquered it with the west London outfit.
Marcus Edwards, Kyle Walker-Peters, David Beckham and more have all been allowed to depart from north London without having been given a fair go at the first-team, with this arguably marking their most lucrative failure.
The money they could have gained from his sale would have been astronomical, made even greater were he being sold from one English club to another; or, were Postecoglou tasked with handling his development, Madueke would surely be moulded into a true attacking wizard from the right flank.
However, they will instead be forced to watch his steady growth for an arch-rival, praying that he does not continue to make them rue the decision to let him go.
