TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou leaning towards Arsenal & Manchester City in his use of prodigious Tottenham talent

Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with one of the upcoming sensations in Mikey Moore, with the 17-year-old wide forward being one of the most promising talents that has emerged out of the academy at Hotspur Way; however, at the moment, given how the opportunities are not coming his way in the first team, he may be off to a loan move to get some experience under his belt. While Moore has been highly regarded, he has been on the fringes of Ange Postecoglou’s roster and has not featured in the Premier League since early February.

No more Moore?

There is a general understanding that the ongoing campaign has been a difficult one for the North Londoners, and while Ange Postecoglou has still shown willingness to put his trust in young players, the Lilywhites academy graduate hasn’t been given as many chances as his peers, as he only aggregates seven appearances and two starts in the English top tier, and given how his involvement has been limited, many supporters have started asking questions about his development and future at the club.

Now if you consider the situation on the left flank, the lack of playing time gets more surprising. Both Heung-min Son and Timo Werner have been struggling along the season, and they continue to be selected despite their inconsistent forms, and this should have left a prospect like Moore fuming for more senior minutes, given how he needs some minutes under his belt to develop in the English top tier.

A loan to Championship in line?

As we walk into the conclusion of the ongoing campaign, there are a lot of Championship clubs that could be looked at as a potential option for Moore, especially if he were to move to a place on loan where he could get considerable playing time that he desperately needs to continue his development.

While many supporters think that he should be moving on loan if he is not to get minutes under his belt at Tottenham, former Leicester City and Brentford manager Martin Allen insists that the teenager should stay put with his current employers instead. He argues that Moore can instead gain more experience in the English top tier, and a possible loan move to the Championship would be a step back for the Lilywhites academy graduate. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, he said:

“After the experience he’s had and some of his starts at Tottenham, I imagine he’ll be staying. If they were going to loan him out, they would have done it in January. I can see why they didn’t, because of their European fixtures, and it’s important to keep the squad together.

“He’s one that, if you loaned him out in the summer to the Championship, it might do him good, but after he’s already been playing in the Premier League, it would be a big step back for him.

“They will be hoping that next season he’s going to come to the forefront and be playing on a week-in, week-out basis.

“He’s such a good player, I’d imagine he’ll be staying at Tottenham.“

Is Ange leaning the Arsenal and City way in his integration of Moore?

We have seen how Postecoglou likes to utilise young players in his roster, and if Moore is to be around the first team environment at Tottenham, he should likely get a few opportunities under his belt. Surely, any more opportunities would be a direct result of how he does in those displays.

Tottenham could be looking at Arsenal and Manchester City in their integration of young players. Both Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola give the young players a slow feel for the first team before they give them a run in, and this is exactly what Postecoglou could be doing, making sure that Moore has a breath of the pace and power of England’s top tier before he gets a run in. In a sense, that is a more rational thing to do, especially when you are integrating a teenager.

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou the reason behind Maddison’s underwhelming season at Tottenham?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham could find it difficult to retain Dejan Kulusevski

We will see how this goes into the pre-season and the next campaign, but Ange could be carefully planning Moore’s breakthrough at N17.