Both Spurs and Chelsea have a clear strategy in place in terms of scouting young players from all over the world.
While one may be more excited than the other in terms of spending big, there is not doubt the two London clubs have strong scouting systems that are outdoing each other in terms of finding talent.
The latest talent to emerge on their radar is one closer to home, though he is yet to appear at the senior level of the game.
Tottenham and Chelsea scouting Bayer Leverkusen’s Francis Onyeka
As reported by FootballTransfers, both Tottenham and Chelsea are looking closely at Bayer Leverkusen’s academy star Francis Onyeka.
The 17-year-old is yet to make a single senior appearance but has a stellar record at academy level for both club and country.
For Leverkusen, Onyeka has 26 goals and seven assists from 67 appearances, while for the Germany youth teams he has registered 11 goals in 22 appearances.
Onyeka’s current contract at Bayer Leverkusen runs until June 2027.
Could go either way
It’s one thing scouting players early, it’s another expecting them to deliver at the same level especially if they’re displaced very early on in their life.
There’s a clear pattern of big clubs no longer waiting for young prospects to prove their mettle at senior level before taking the plunge, but in the spirit of player welfare it is important to point out the need for looking after the academy players even more.
Players at senior level are already overworked and ignored; we should work towards improving this situation instead of subjecting the academy players to it as well.