Tottenham have announced that teenage goalkeeper Brandon Austin has agreed the terms of a new two-year contract.
Spurs reported on their official Twitter account on Monday afternoon that the academy product, 18, has signed a deal that runs until the summer of 2019.
We are delighted to announce that Brandon Austin has signed a new contract with the Club until 2019. ?? #COYS pic.twitter.com/7mZRbGfUM0
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 13, 2017
Austin’s deal is recognition of the progress he has made since joining the Tottenham youth set-up from Chelsea in his mid-teens.
The United States Under-18s international, who is the son of a professional basketball player, was a key man in Spurs’ run to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals last season and has been promoted this season to the club’s Under-23s, making five appearances in Premier League 2.
Austin has also caught the eye of first-team manager Mauricio Pochettino and was one of seven players in last season’s academy who was called up to the senior squad for the pre-season tour of the US.
OPINION
By handing Austin a new deal, Spurs have made it clear that they regard him as an asset. The question is, do the Londoners see the teenager as a future first teamer at Tottenham, or will he follow 2017 fellow keeper academy product Luke McGee in carving out a career in the lower leagues? McGee joined Portsmouth permanently in the summer after a successful loan spell at Peterborough, and the next year or two will be critical in mapping out Austin’s career path. Even the coaches at Spurs might not be sure yet in which direction he will go. But one thing is for sure, if Austin is good enough, Pochettino will not hold back in giving him a go. The Argentine has an outstanding track record for developing young talent, as he has showed at Tottenham with the likes of Harry Kane and Harry Winks, as well as former clubs Southampton and Espanyol.