Here are the latest goings-on with Tottenham’s large group of loan players as they near the end of their season away from the north London club
The end of the season is approaching for some of Tottenham’s large loan army as they prepare to decide what comes next in their careers.
Spurs have got 18 players spread across the globe on loan with some sprinkled across all levels of the Football League as well as others currently plying their trade in Scotland, Germany, Italy and South America. Some of them have gained promotion this season while others have suffered relegation despite their best efforts.
Many of them will be looking to impress new Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi this summer and finishing their loan spells away from the club well will only increase the favourable reports handed to the Italian ahead of pre-season.
Here’s how every one of Tottenham’s big group of loan players got on across the world in the past seven days.
Will Lankshear & Jamie Donley (Oxford United)
Will Lankshear had a week of mixed emotions. The 21-year-old striker scored two superb goals and grabbed an assist in Oxford’s 4-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday with a back-flicked finish and a curling effort from distance. However, the big victory was not enough as United still suffered relegation despite his best efforts.
Jamie Donley played 63 minutes of the contest in midfield behind Lankshear but the defeats at Derby and at home against Wrexham were always going to make it difficult for struggling Oxford to stay up.
Lankshear then took home a double at the Oxford United end of season awards. With his 12 goals for the relegated side he earned the Men’s Golden Boot and the club’s Young Player of the Year award.
On the final day of the season Lankshear and Donley will travel with Oxford for their trip to promotion hopefuls Millwall.
Mikey Moore (Rangers)
Mikey Moore also had a week of awards as he was nominated for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award after an eye-catching season at Rangers. The 18-year-old attacker also won Rangers’ Young Player of the Year award in the week.
Moore, who has been recovering from a hip issue came off the bench at half-time with Rangers 2-0 down at home against Motherwell on Sunday. He played his part as the Glaswegian side got it back to 2-2 only to concede a late Emmanuel Longelo goal to throw away any chance of a point or three.
Moore has played 43 games at Rangers, getting 2,443 minutes of football, with eight goal involvements in 29 Scottish Premiership appearances.
Next up is the huge top of the table clash at Hearts on Monday with their hosts sitting four points ahead of them at the summit.
Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)
Luka Vuskovic and his knee have been constantly making the headlines in both Hamburg and Croatia after missing three weeks of action. The 19-year-old is reportedly suffering from ‘knee contusion,’ which is effectively bruising that causes plenty of discomfort.
Now Hamburger SV boss Merlin Polzin has offered hope that the teenager is finally on the comeback trail after he completed a light recovery session with rehabilitation coach Sebastian Capel on Tuesday.
Polzin told the local media: “First of all, this is really good: sunshine, Luka is here. Wonderful. It gives me a good feeling that the pain has subsided.”
German reports claim Vuskovic’s first MRI scan results were positive but HSV medical staff, in consultation with Tottenham, need to carry out another MRI later this week before he is cleared to return to action. The final decision will rest with his parent club Spurs over what happens next for a player who is hoping to make a splash at the World Cup this summer.
The Croatian has made 27 appearances and played 2,460 minutes for the Bundesliga outfit and with Hamburg just six points above the drop zone and dropping off in form since Vuskovic’s injury they will be desperate for his return.
Alfie Devine (Preston North End)
Alfie Devine enjoyed a creative week for Preston, even if it brought mixed results. The 21-year-old midfielder grabbed an assist in the 2-1 defeat at Birmingham on Wednesday night and then recorded two of them in the 3-2 victory at Sheffield United on Saturday.
Devine got an 8.5 in the Lancashire Post player ratings for the latter game with the review: “ A mature, disciplined display alongside Thompson. Kept it simple on the ball and did the ugly stuff off it. Two assists.”
Devine has posted eight goals and eight assists from midfield in 47 appearances across a major season of development in the Championship. Preston have an option to buy Devine this summer, thought to be around £4.5million, which is believed to be steep for the Championship side. Devine told BBC Lancashire last weekend that he would decide his next steps and take time to think about it.
Kota Takai (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Kota Takai made it back-to-back brief Bundesliga appearances as he came on in the 89th minute of Borussia Monchengladbach’s 0-0 draw at Wolfsburg on Saturday.
The 21-year-old Japan international returned action the previous weekend in the 87th minute of the 1-1 draw at home against Mainz for his first minutes on the pitch in two months since picking up a muscle strain.
Takai has made just eight appearances during this loan spell in the Bundesliga and has endured an injury-hit time since arriving in Europe last summer.
Manor Solomon (Fiorentina)
Manor Solomon played the full 90 minutes as Fiorentina drew 0-0 at home with Sassuolo on Sunday.
The Israel international is back following six weeks out with a grade 1-2 hip flexor strain in his right thigh and is playing his part in continuing his loan side’s seven-game unbeaten run to move away from the drop zone in Serie A.
The 26-year-old winger has scored two goals in 13 matches for the Italian side as a fixture on either wing.
Alejo Veliz (Rosario Central)
Alejo Veliz scored for Rosario on Monday night as they beat Sarmiento Junin 2-1 at home in the league and then came off the bench to play half an hour of the 2-1 victory at Estudiantes on Friday. The 22-year-old then played 80 minutes on Wednesday in the 3-0 win at UCV in the Copa Libertadores.
Veliz has scored five goals in 18 appearances so far this campaign and is expected to head to Bahia at the end of the season after Tottenham agreed a deal with the Brazilian side to sell Veliz once his current loan at Rosario ends. A £7.8m (9m euros) deal was agreed with £871k in add-ons (1m euros) plus a 20% sell-on clause.
Dane Scarlett (Hibernian)
Dane Scarlett was an unused substitute as Hibernian lost 2-1 at home to Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts on Sunday.
The 21-year-old striker has made 10 appearances north of the border with one assist and 463 minutes to his name. He has just a year left on his contract at Tottenham and a decision will likely be made this summer about what comes next for him after 27 senior appearances for the north London club.
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Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)
Ashley Phillips played in back-to-back 3-1 defeats at home for Stoke in the Championship with losses to Millwall last Tuesday night and then to Portsmouth in a poor defeat on Saturday.
The 20-year-old centre-back, who is on the shortlist for the EFL Championship’s Young Player of the Season award, was given a five in Stoke-on-Trent Live’s player ratings with the review: “Last home game in a Stoke shirt. Tried to be on the front foot and looked embarrassed to be part of the mess.”
Phillips has played 43 games for Stoke this season, recording one assist and earning plenty of plaudits despite recent results.
Yang Min-hyeok (Coventry)
Yang Min-hyeok has a promotion to the Premier League on his CV but was not involved again in the matchday squad in either Coventry game in the past week.
The 20-year-old has been left out of the past 14 consecutive games by Frank Lampard and while he was not starting regularly in the first half of the season, the winger still made 16 appearances for Portsmouth, scoring three goals with one assist, before switching to the table-toppers. The South Korean has just 29 minutes of football in the Championship for them across three matches.
Oliver Irow & George Abbott (Mansfield Town)
Oliver Irow came off the bench and scored for Mansfield in their 4-1 win at Huddersfield on Saturday and was an unused substitute as they drew 0-0 at Peterborough on Tuesday night in League One.
football.london reported last week that George Abbott has suffered a serious quad injury which will keep him out until pre-season, bringing a premature end to his campaign.
Yusuf Akhamrich (Bristol Rovers)
Yusuf Akhamrich got a much-deserved start as Bristol Rovers swept Cheltenham aside 4-0 on Saturday even if he had a rare tough day.
The Bristol Post’s Will Murray handed Akhamrich a 6.5 in his player ratings with the write-up: “Yusuf Akhamrich struggled to get into the game today, with only 22 touches. He had some bright moments and completed five dribbles, but his three shots were either blocked or missed the target.”
Akhamrich has racked up six goals and two assists in his 18 League Two matches with Rovers.
Damola Ajayi (Bromley)
Damola Ajayi was an unused substitute for promoted Bromley as they lost 2-0 at Salford City on Thursday.
The 20-year-old winger has registered 30 appearances across his spells at Bromley and Doncaster Rovers in a big season of development across League One and Two.
Alfie Dorrington (Salford City)
In the other dugout was Ajayi’s Tottenham team-mate Alfie Dorrington who was also an unused substitute in the match.
The 20-year-old centre-back has 10 appearances so far for City since switching from Aberdeen during the winter window.
Tyrese Hall (Notts County)
To complete the hat-trick of unused subs, Tyrese Hall did not get the nod from the bench either as Notts County won 1-0 at Colchester United on Saturday in League Two.
The 20-year-old Jamaica international has scored eight goals and provided two assists across 1,818 minutes in 38 appearances since heading out of Tottenham on his first loan.
Aaron Maguire (Hampton & Richmond Borough)
Aaron Maguire played every minute of his first three matches for National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough and the 21-year-old goalkeeper started for them at Ebbsfleet earlier this month but was not involved again for the 1-0 win at home against Enfield Town.
