Tottenham star Antonin Kinsky “excited and motivated” after signing new contract.
Antonin Kinsky putting pen to paper on a new deal is the sort of story that will not dominate back pages the way a marquee signing does, but for anyone who actually watched last season unfold in real time, it is one of the more satisfying bits of business Tottenham have concluded all summer. The Czech shot-stopper has gone from squad surplus to genuinely trusted number one in the space of a few chaotic months, and the club rewarding that with a new contract feels less like generosity and more like common sense.
Kinsky was thrown in against Sunderland, De Zerbi’s very first game in charge, after Guglielmo Vicario picked up an injury following a torrid night at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16. Nobody would have blamed a 23-year-old for wilting under that kind of pressure, arriving mid-crisis with a new manager still finding his feet.
Instead, Kinsky did the opposite. He played every minute under De Zerbi from that point on and produced genuinely important saves against Wolves, Leeds and Everton, performances that were not just competent but actively contributed to keeping us in the top flight.
Numero Uno!
Speaking exclusively on SPURSPLAY, he talked about feeling the club’s trust, about arriving from Slavia Prague eighteen months ago with ambitions of simply fighting for a place, and about how far that has already come. There is no entitlement in how he talks about it, just a quiet appreciation for the opportunity and a clear hunger for more.
“For sure, I feel I’m a better keeper…I’m not the one to judge – that’s for the fans and the coaches – and, at the same time, I know it’s a big contribution of the coaches that were involved and that helped me so much.
“The team is so strong, the team is good. There is a huge opportunity to be successful this season and definitely I want to take part in that. I want to contribute and I hope we will give the fans what they are waiting for and what we want.
“There is a lot to come in the next season, which makes me really excited, which makes me hungry and motivated to come prepared because there will be a lot going on in the preseason.”
That hunger shall see itself tested straight away. Martin Dubravka’s arrival this summer, along with Vicario’s continued presence (uncertain future at the club), means the goalkeeping department stands suddenly stacked with genuine competition rather than one clear starter and understudies making up the numbers.
Kinsky was refreshingly honest about needing to keep improving rather than assuming last season’s form guarantees anything going forward, crediting the goalkeeping coaches at Hotspur Way for a “big contribution” to his development. For a club that has occasionally been guilty of overcomplicating things between the sticks in recent years, tying down a young, homegrown-feeling talent who has already proven he can handle the pressure of a relegation fight is HUGE.