According to Alasdair Gold at Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur are close to a deal to sell one of their talented younger players. Gold reports that Spurs and Luton Town are nearing agreement on a deal for 22-year-olkd Irish keeper Josh Keeley; the transfer price was not stated but it will include a sell-on clause.
Keeley is a talented young shot-stopper who spent the year on loan at League One club Leyton Orient, taking the Mighty O’s to the brink of promotion to the Championship before falling to Charlton Athletic in the final.
This move will possibly puzzle a lot of Tottenham fans, but it’s probably the right call. Right now Tottenham’s keeper situation is pretty much rock solid, with Guglielmo Vicario and Antonin Kinsky as the established 1-2, and homegrown/club-trained keeper Brandon Austin as third keeper. Neither are likely to be dislodged anytime soon — Vicario and Kinsky will get the lion’s share of the minutes, and Austin’s status as the team’s only club-trained player make him essential for the Champions League squad.
That leaves Keeley, as talented as he is, out. And because he’s an Irish keeper signed in 2022 at age 19, he is not and will not be homegrown or club-trained. Gold also states that Spurs attempted to offer him a new contract, but Keeley turned it down, which is probably the smart call by him.
Gold writes that the club thinks Keeley could be a Premier League-level keeper in the future, which I don’t doubt. While selling him to Luton means Keeley stays at the same level, we know he can perform there and another solid season means he’s very likely going to be a target for a larger club in the future. Spurs won’t get a ton of cash if/when Luton does sell him, but a small transfer fee plus a small sell-on clause means Spurs will get some compensation.
Keeley always felt like a player Spurs would eventually flip for a profit, and that appears to be what’s happening. It’s the right decision. Keeping him around in the event he maybe displaces Kinsky feels like a disservice to a talented young player, and this way Spurs can at least get a little cash for him down the road.