Antonín Kinksy's redemption in north London culminated in the young Czech goalkeeper receiving full backing from Roberto De Zerbi.
Kinsky, infamously withdrawn after 17 minutes at the Metropolitano in February, got a second chance after Guglielmo Vicario underwent hernia surgery. While some called for Brandon Austin, De Zerbi trusted the technically proficient Czech to bounce back.
And Kinsky seized that opportunity with both hands. Sure, the end of last season wasn't perfect, but the nature of his renaissance pointed towards a mentally resolute goalkeeper whose career with the Lilywhites was far from over, as it'd been suggested after his horror show in Madrid.
There had been a time when the transfer rumour mills were laden with goalkeeper links. Vicario's demise meant a summer reset made sense, and unless Kinsky proved himself to be devoid of mental scars, it seemed likely that Spurs would acquire a new No. 1.
Among those linked was then-Freiburg shot-stopper Noah Atubolu.
Tottenham should have no regrets about goalkeeper decision
Spurs have had a pretty wretched start to the season, even if the expected is more impressive than the actual. The 1-1 draw at Manchester United was another contest we'd ought to have won, and Kinsky played a role in our late surge, denying Bryan Mbeumo a second on the counter-attack.
Kinsky's numbers are underwhelming through six games, but few would suggest that he ranks highly among our concerns. Anything but. Plus, the Czech has performed with a stoic swagger in possession, elevating our build-up play in tandem with Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi.
If there was a goalkeeper Spurs could've signed to usurp Kinsky in the summer, it certainly shouldn't have been Atubolu. Spurs were scouting the highly-rated German goalkeeper towards the end of last season, amid Atubolu's impressive campaign with Freiburg. The Bundesliga side finished seventh in the table and were beaten in the Europa League final by Aston Villa.
Atubolu was courted by the likes of Spurs and Juventus, but would end up on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt for 2026/27. However, the young shot-stopper has not had the start to the season he would've wanted.
Frankfurt are down in 14th and defensively woeful (again). Atubolu's 16 concessions are the second-most in the league, and he was particularly awful in Saturday's 6-0 beatdown at the hands of RB Leipzig. He's saved just 61% of shots faced, but does stack up pretty well on the goals prevented front. Given the quality of the shots he's so far encountered, Atubolu has been expected to concede 16 times. Still, he hasn't yet elevated a Frankfurt team that was a tumultuous, porous mess last season.
While the penalty-saving record is remarkable (Atubolu has saved six straight in the Bundesliga), this quirk appears to be no more than an exciting novelty for a goalkeeper who's struggling to fulfil his enormous potential.
I'm more than happy we stuck with Kinsky.
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