Nathan Oduwa is Refusing a New Deal with Tottenham

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s youth players who could potentially get a look during Spurs’ pre and post-season tours is refusing a new deal with the hopes of impressing clubs this summer during the Olympics.

According to Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, Tottenham had triggered an option on Nathan Oduwa’s contract to extend his current deal until 2017 after he had impressed with Scottish Championship side, Rangers, on loan this season.

Unfortunately for Spurs, Oduwa stalling on a contract extension stems from the fact that he is apparently attracting some interest from Spanish clubs.

Here’s what Thomas wrote which details an exchange between the 20-year-old’s agent and his family over what could be in his best interest moving forward:

“Oduwa has been urged by his agent to sign the new three-year contract, which was offered by Spurs last September, but the player and his family believe he could be playing and earning more elsewhere and hope a new club will attempt to sign him after the [Olympic] Games.”

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – OCTOBER 20: Nathan Oduwa of Rangers evades Jordan White of Livingston during the Petrofac Training Cup Quarter-Final match between Rangers and Livingston at Ibrox Stadium on October 20, 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /

While Oduwa has represented England at the youth levels for the Under-17, Under-18 and Under-20 teams, he has decided to play for his family’s country of origin instead since last year. With this switch, Nathan Oduwa is now expected to be a part of Nigeria’s Under-23 team at the Rio Olympics this summer.

Should the talented winger sign the three-year contract extension which was offered to him last September, then Mauricio Pochettino would no doubt give Oduwa plenty of minutes this summer to see where he could fit in with next year’s squad.

However, compared to other youngsters who are more ready to play for Tottenham now, Nathan Oduwa is behind the likes of Joshua Onomah and even Alex Pritchard. Among plenty of others who barely featured and were called up (Tom Carroll, Harry Winks, Shayon Harrison, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyle Walker-Peters).

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If Oduwa forgoes Tottenham’s contract extension, then Mauricio Pochettino would be losing a youth player who has been with the team for a number of years and could potentially be useful next season at the wide position.

At the same time though, the Argentine manager is already looking at more attacking options to bring into the squad during the summer.

So there is going to be some shakeup regardless if Oduwa stayed or not.

Even with Son Heung-Min and Clinton N’Jie signed last summer, and Nacer Chadli being quite productive once again, Pochettino will obviously still want more depth and more width in order to challenge for the Premier League title once again and be prepared for the Champions League.

Currently there are certain options that Spurs could go after but it mostly involves strikers who could double down as wingers like West Brom’s, Saido Berahino, and Fulham’s, Moussa Dembélé, for example.

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However this situation gets handled, Tottenham needs more attackers and Nathan Oduwa fits the bill as a winger and meets Mauricio Pochettino’s preference of being young, as the Under-23 Nigerian international is just 20-years-old.

It’s not surprising that Nathan Oduwa would refuse a contract extension in the hopes of signing with a team where he can gain more playing time. If that’s the case, then it’s best to move on as his time won’t be coming soon.

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