Unlike previous seasons, Tottenham Hotspur decided to allow a host of youngsters to leave on loan this season in search of first-team minutes.

In Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure, academy players were not allowed to leave on a temporary basis as the Argentine prefer to develop the players around the first team. However, Jose Mourinho has changed the philosophy surrounding loan moves, allowing some of Spurs hottest prospect earn valuable minutes away from the club.

As leagues reach the half-way point of the 2020/21 campaign, we decided to see how some of Spurs youngsters are getting on at their loaned clubs.

The successes so far 

Oliver Skipp was one of the first players to be loaned out in the summer, being sent to Championship promotion hopefuls Norwich City in the hope of adding some valuable senior minutes to his development.

Jose Mourinho spoke very highly of the young midfielder, calling him a ‘future Spurs captain’. He has become a fan favourite at Carrow Road this season, featuring in every single Championship game to date, 27 appearances in all competitions. The 20-year-old has become an integral part of Daniel Farke’s starting eleven, helping Norwich City rise to the top spot of Championship.

The Canaries centre-back Grant Hanley praised Skipp's attitude at such a young age, as reported by Eastern Daily Press.

“Skippy’s got experience beyond his years, he looks like he’s played at the top level for 10 or 15 years, it’s hard to think that he’s still so young.

"He does all the stuff that you love as a centre-half.”

Skipp looks to have matured and developed in his six months at Norwich City, as Spurs supporters can look forward to having a developed midfielder to rotate alongside Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg next season. 

Another youngster impressing on-loan is Ryan Sessegnon, who is currently playing his trade in Germany at Hoffenheim. After struggling to feature in his opening season at Spurs, making just 12 appearances, Sessegnon was handed a loan to the Bundesliga in search of regaining his form. 

Sessegnon rarely featured in his opening month at the club but has since cemented his place in the starting eleven, making 11 appearances in the Bundesliga. Most importantly, Sessegnon has regularly featured at left-back for the German club, a position in which Spurs and Mourinho see the 20-year-old in the future, especially with a chance of Sergio Reguilon returning to Real Madrid in the future.

He hasn’t lost his eye for the goal either, scoring twice and contributing to two assists in his short time at Hoffenheim. 

Timothy Eyoma is also enjoying his loan spell at League One’s Lincoln City, featuring prominently at right-back and centre-back. The Spurs defender has featured in all but two League One fixtures for the Imps, contributing to one of the best defensive records in the league and second in the table as they eye for promotion to the Championship. 

Disappointments so far

After failing to convince Mourinho of being Harry Kane’s understudy, Troy Parrott secured a loan move to Championship side Millwall, however, the striker has struggled so far in his time at The Den.

The 18-year-old began the season in the worst possible way, suffering an ankle injury which ruled him out for two months. After returning in mid-November, Parrott has gone onto make 13 appearances for Millwall, failing to find the back of the net on every occasion. 

 

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It’s hard to point the finger and say Parrott is not good enough, despite scoring 17 goals in 15 games for Spurs U18s side, but Millwall is a team that fails to create a significant number of chances. 

Although there was speculation about Spurs cutting his season-long loan at Millwall short, Parrott now seems likely to stay at The Den for another six months, with Spurs supporters hoping he can re-find his confidence in front of goal. 

Juan Foyth has also struggled since being loaned out by Spurs to La Liga side Villarreal in the summer. 

The defender time in Spain hasn’t gone to exactly plan, making just six appearances in the La Liga, including just one full 90 minutes under his belt so far. The Argentine has featured prominently in their Europa League campaign, making four full 90 minutes in Europe. 

Spurs supporters had long called for Foyth to be utilized in a defensive midfield role last year, but Pochettino and Mourinho elected not to. However, since he arrived in Spain, Foyth has been given minutes in the defensive midfield role due to injuries, a glimpse into a potential future position for Foyth.

Overall, Mourinho will be disappointed and worried about Foyth’s time in Spain so far, with his future looking increasingly likely to be away from Spurs when he returns next season.   

Lastly, Cameron Carter-Vickers secured a loan move to AFC Bournemouth on the summer transfer deadline day back in October, yet the 23-year-old has only made three appearances for the club.

He missed the first month due to fitness issues and was not selected by Jason Tindall throughout November and December. Carter-Vickers was finally handed his debut in the FA Cup third round against Oldham Athletic and has since started in Bournemouth’s previous two Championship games.