Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the forgotten signing of an extraordinary teenage talent who has sent an emotional exit message to his current club, ahead of a January switch to north London.
Spurs are expected to active in the winter market again as they look to bolster Thomas Frank’s attack in particular, although one exciting signing is already agreed and ready to walk through the door in January.
Generational Irish talent Mason Melia has penned a farewell message to St Patrick’s Athletic before making his move to The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 18-year-old is one of the biggest young talents in Irish football and won the PFA Ireland Young Player of the Year award last year.
As long ago as February, Tottenham agreed a deal for the striker worth an initial £1.6million – a record transfer for the League of Ireland – with the potential for add-ons to double that figure.
Tottenham overcame competition from top clubs across the Premier League and Europe to land the youngster’s signature, with Melia agreeing a lengthy contract until 2031.
As revealed by Football.London, Spurs have put Melia on a tailored conditioning programme to prepare him for the rigours of the Premier League when he arrives early next year.
The UK’s exit from the European Union meant Melia was unable to move to Hotspur Way until he turned 18, which happened in September.
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Mason Melia already making his mark in Europe
While Melia has been unable to work with Spurs’ academy coaches, the delayed move has meant him gaining more exposure to the men’s game at both Irish and European level.
Despite his young age, Melia has already played a remarkable 98 senior matches and been directly involved in 33 goals, scoring 25 and recording eight assists.
The Irish league season ended at the weekend with a 0-0 draw for fifth-placed St Pat’s at Shelbourne with Melia playing 90 minutes.
The young attacker finished his campaign with 13 goals and four assists from 35 League of Ireland matches and also netted and provided an assist in the club’s six Europa League qualifiers.
Melia has also scored three goals in his first four Republic of Ireland U21 matches to continually showcase his talents.
Writing about his exit from St Pat’s this week, Melia commented: “Never thought the day would come that I would be closing my chapter at @stpatsfc, I would like to thank everyone that has supported me while at my time at pats to the staff, teammates and to all the fans.
“From making my debut to scoring my first league goal, winning the cup and making so many memories with my teammates. I’ve met some good people and not so good….
“Everyone has a played a vital role in my career and I can’t say how thankful I am for that, I’ve made some close friends that I will always have by my side. Thank you to all of yous that believed in me and gave me a path to get to where I am today. Once a saint always a saint.”
Melia will now take a break before joining up with Frank’s squad in January, and former Spurs goalkeeper Josh Keeley has already told his old club what to expect from the player.
Speaking to Football.London, Keeley said: “I mean he is a young lad, who has played a lot of senior games at the minute and he is playing constantly for St Pats.
“I think him coming over, signing for Spurs and getting to know all the boys is only going to help him progress. He is going to do very, very well.”
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