'Writing on the wall'- January addition’s performances spell the end for Tottenham prodigy’s prospects at N17

Back in January, Daniel Levy moved quite swiftly to secure the signature of Antonin Kinsky for ≈£13 million, which was also more of a desperation given Vicario’s injury problems in the previous season. And Kinsky is the same age as Keeley, and moreover, he was backed into the same long-term vision at Hotspur Way as the chiefs at Tottenham decided to hand him a six-and-a-half-year contract. Now this transfer told Keeley everything he needed to know.

John Wenham, owner of the Spurs reputed podcast Lilywhites Rose, put it quite finely in his exclusive interview with Tottenham News, where he said that ‘there wasn’t much more he (Keeley) could have done’. He said:

“I think the writing was on the wall for Keeley, regardless of how successful his loan was, when Tottenham decided to sign Kinsky last January.

“So at that point, Josh was absolutely excelling on loan. He had a really good first loan at Barnet last year, jumped two divisions to Orient, probably the best keeper in that division.

“Last year, he was doing really well, and then Tottenham signed a goalkeeper of the exact same age from abroad for £13million. That was obviously very frustrating for Keeley and his people, and understandably so, because there wasn’t much more he could have done.”

Tottenham on 19 July announced that the North Londoners have reached an agreement with Luton Town for Keeley. It was not a loan or any of those option-to-buy complications; it was straight-up a proper transfer. And this is a smart pick for Luton, and for Keeley, he finally gets a very deserved shot at proper first-team football.

What now?

Keeley’s exit is quite frustrating, to be honest, mainly because he did everything right, and then he still ended up getting squeezed out of the plans at N17. But we need to accept that this right here is modern football, where clubs commit early, and when ≈£13m is spent to bring in a Czech youth international, the pathway for others closes down quite swiftly. And I am sure that Keeley will thrive at Luton and won’t be surprised if he’s back in the Premier League sooner than you think.