Tottenham have completed the signing of 14-year-old defensive prodigy Temidire Emmanuel Okuwa, according to All Nigeria Soccer.
The teenage starlet, who was born in 2006, spent five years in West Ham’s academy system before leaving the Hammers at the end of last season.
It is understood that he then underwent trials with Spurs and London rivals Chelsea, but decided to agree a deal with the Champions League finalists due to their tendency to offer youth players a clearer path to the first team.
TiF Tactics – What will Okuwa bring to Spurs?
At the moment, truth be told, very little.
The 14-year-old is good, but he is still a long, long way off being a senior option.
That being said, this could still prove to be a very smart deal.
Okuwa is described in All Nigeria Soccer’s report as being a “versatile” player, capable of playing across the backline or just in front of it.
At 14, he may still be a little too fresh to be considered as anything other than a prospect, but the fact that Chelsea were also interested should tell you a lot about how highly-rated this starlet is. It is also important to remember that Declan Rice was 14 when the Blues let him to join West Ham.
If Okuwa grows up to get anywhere near as successful as Rice, then he will have been a massive coup.
The ex-Hammer will play U14s to start off with, but if he gets his head down, there is no reason why he cannot rise through the ranks.
How does this signing fit in with Spurs’ masterplan?
Spurs bucked the trend a little this summer by spending big on Tanguy Ndombele, but that record transfer aside, they appear to be making a point of signing young, British players with the potential to become really special talents.
Jack Clarke and Ryan Sessegnon are obviously a lot closer to senior football than Okuwa is, but by signing this kind of player, it would suggest that Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino have one eye firmly focused on the future.
And so they should. There are few managers in the modern game who can develop players as effectively as Pochettino can.
Take Dele Alli as an example. Signed from MK Dons for next to nothing, he has gone on to become one of the finest creative midfielders in the Premier League, averaging two shots, 1.5 key passes, and 1.2 successful dribbles per match for Spurs in the Premier League and Champions League since moving to London, as per Whoscored.
Simply put, there is no better place for a young talent to grow and develop than with Spurs right now.