Spurs to battle with Premier League counterparts for Serbian wonderkid
By Tom Vinall
In the last few years, we have seen Tottenham Hotspur look to snatch some of the best talent around, both within the United Kingdom, and on the continent.
We have seen the club move to sign the likes of Archie Gray from Leeds United, Lucas Bergvall from Djurgardens IF, Destiny Udogie from Udinese, Pape Matar Sarr from Metz, Luka Vuskovic from Hadjuk Split, and Wilson Odobert from Burnley – amongst others.
They have also been linked to the likes of Patrick Dorgu from Lecce, Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, and even an ambitious move for Arda Guler from Real Madrid.
The next up is reported to be Red Star Belgrade teenager Andrija Maksimovic, who already has two Serbia caps at just seventeen years of age. He made his debut at 17 years, four months, and seven days – making him the countries youngest ever player.
This was just months after playing for Serbia U17s at the U17 European Championships back in May and June of this year, a competition that Mikey Moore represented England in.
According to the report, Spurs are not alone in their interest of Maksimovic, with various clubs such as, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Marseille and Juventus, all “keeping tabs” on the prospect.
It is added that, regardless of when a potential deal is struck, he would not be allowed to leave Serbia until the summer, when he turns 18. Similar feel to the deal for Vuskovic, who cannot actually join up with the club until next summer.
As for the player himself, Maksimovic is naturally a number ten, but has also played deeper as a number eight, and also on the right hand side. Renowned football talent scout Jacek Kulig compared him to James Rodriguez, for his creative ability and natural talent to find space between the lines.
The midfielder made his senior debut at just sixteen years old in August of 2023, picking up a goal and assist in the process.
In just 215 minutes in the first tier this season, Maksimovic has already provided two assists so far. He has also racked up 144 minutes in the Champions League, and started against Italian giants Inter Milan back in September.
Red Star Belgrade are known for being good developers of players, with the most recent player as a star in the top five leagues being Nikola Milenkovic, who is currently excelling for a Nottingham Forest side that sit above Spurs.
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