Tottenham fans will certainly have fond memories of midfielder Teemu Tainio, who represented the club for a period of three years from 2005 to 2008. The Finnish player was a signing from French outfit Auxerre on a free transfer. He created a lot of buzz after signing a seven-year contract with Spurs in 2005. Even though he represented only 61 league matches for the club during these three years, Tainio played in during a highly productive spell for the club. He was part of the team that won Tottenham’s last major trophy – the League Cup title in 2008 under the management of Juande Ramos.
Yet, it was the Spaniard who sold him to Sunderland in the summer of 2008 for around £3 million. After being brought to White Hart Lane by former boss Martin Jol, Tainio would still be remembered by most of the Spurs fans. And now, The club have now completed the signing of his son, Maximus Tainio, from Finnish outfit HJK Helsinki, the club have confirmed. It probably represents the best possible move at the turn of his senior career, as Maximus will be able to get a lot of help from his father about various aspects of playing for a club like Tottenham.
Maximus claims that he is extremely happy with the transfer, as Finnish players have rarely excelled in football. His father remains as one of the big Finnish names to succeed in the game. Maximus said:
“I’m so happy with the contract, as this is quite rare for Finnish players. The future, of course, is also exciting.
“Coaches praise my ability to predict the movements of others and to find the right pass. My input is good and I defend well.”
The move also is likely to provide him with plenty of first-team opportunities, or even in the reserve team if he is not good enough. Spurs are the type of a club who would provide opportunities to youngsters irrespective of their age. The likes of Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Dele Alli, and Harry Kane managing to establish themselves after coming as youngsters in a team challenging for the Premier League title shows the commitment from the club in order to produce the best young talent in English football. Maximus may probably receive the best possible help growing up.
The 15-year-old will not be joining up with any of the first team or reserve teams, as he would first link up with the youth setup. At this tender age, Maximus will have to show a lot of improvement in order to be eligible for a professional contract when he comes to the end of his teens. It is understood that the move to the top of the youth academy also includes the option of a professional contract if he meets certain requirements.
After leaving Spurs, Teemu Tainio went on to play for Sunderland and Birmingham in England before recently ending his career with HJK Helsinki in January 2015.
