Tottenham Hotspur have had mixed success when it comes to their loanees this season. Some playera have barely got a kick, but others have been regular players and developed really well. The best three loans so far have been George Abbott at Notts County, as well as Alfie Devine and Luka Vuskovic at KVC Westerlo.
There is particularly a lot of hype about Vuskovic. Despite being a central defender, he has scored six goals in 20 Belgian Pro League games for Westerlo this season. Owing to his performances so far, some have even hoped he would join Spurs this window, but due to Brexit rules, he cannot join the club until the summer.
Spurs loanee says club beat off competition from Man City
In a recent interview with Belgian media outlet Nieuwsblad Sport, the defender has spoken about the process that brought him to Spurs, as well as his dream when he plays for the club.
The 17-year old said: "Manchester City was the first club to approach me. Shortly after, my dad told me Tottenham were also interested. When I heard the details, I was convinced." As well as: "Playing alongside Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven one day is a dream.”
It is interesting to see him mention the details convinced him to Spurs. Perhaps this is to say that the club really do see a way of him being a regular in the future, which would marry up with the mention of Manchester City - as that is something you would imagine is harder for them to promise.
As for his quote about playing with Cristian and van de Ven, how good would that be. Whilst Ange does not play a three at the back, a back three of Romero - Vuskovic - van de Ven would be pretty mouthwatering, to say the least.
There is the possibility of van de Ven playing as a left back, though that is a risk in itself. When playing there, he has bigger spaces to cover, which come as a bigger risk to his hamstrings. Unfortunately, we saw evidence of that when he lasted just ten minutes in the Carabao Cup last 16 game against Manchester City on the 30th of October. His 70 minutes or so against Chelsea in December remain his only minutes for Spurs since that game.
Maybe we will see Romero leave the club at some point, but it is great that there is a succession plan. There are so many promising young players on the books at Spurs. You have Vuskovic (17), Antonin Kinsky (21), Archie Gray (18), Destiny Udogie (22), Pape Sarr (22), Mikey Moore (17), Lucas Bergvall (18), Wilson Odobert (20), Yang Min-hyeok (18), and others.