Josh Keeley is having a season to remember as the 21-year-old Tottenham goalkeeper shows everyone just how talented he is, but that might still not be enough to get him a game at his own club.
The Republic of Ireland U21 international has made headlines galore this season while out on loan at Leyton Orient in League One, drawing praise from some of the top names in the game. One glance at his meteoric rise since Richie Wellens belatedly made the decision to hand him league starts from mid-October shows you the quality of Keeley.
The young Tottenham goalkeeper has racked up 13 clean sheets in just 20 League One matches, which is a percentage that stacks up right near the top among the stoppers across the leagues in England. He is a terrific shot stopper, strong in the air and good with his feet.
Keeley, who is playing with his Spurs team-mate Jamie Donley at Orient, has really caught the eye in the FA Cup. He lit up the competition in the second round with a stunning headed equaliser to break Oldham hearts in the 99th minute to take the game to extra-time and a 2–1 win.
In the next round he was a penalty shootout hero against Derby, to set up a big clash with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the fourth round this month.
While Donley would steal the limelight on the day with his 50-yard shot that hit the crossbar then Stefan Ortega to bounce over the line, Keeley was also in top form with a string of saves from the expensively-assembled City stars as the Premier League champions squeezed out a 2-1 win on the day.
“We were lucky at the end because they had chances, but we created a lot, their keeper was really, really good and it was a tight game,” said Guardiola of the Spurs stopper.
Orient boss Wellens added: “Josh was class and he’s been brilliant. I think 75 per cent of his performances have been clean-sheets. He’s got good character for a young kid and he’ll only go on and develop potentially into a top-level Premier League goalkeeper if he keeps his feet on the ground.”
So how come such a talented goalkeeper is going to struggle to find his place at Tottenham? The problem lies with the competition at the club, his lack of homegrown status and what happened in the January transfer window.
Spurs and Ange Postecoglou currently have a clear number one in Guglielmo Vicario and they added to their goalkeeping quality with the signing of Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in January and the 21-year-old has already impressed in big games during Vicario’s absence with a fractured foot.
During that period and before Kinsky’s arrival, Brandon Austin also got his chance finally in the Premier League and the 26-year-old goalkeeper took it. He impressed against Newcastle and then got back-to-back Europa League starts against Hoffenheim and Elfsborg.
What makes Austin even more important is that he is one of Spurs’ few club-trained homegrown players for European football, along with fellow stopper Alfie Whiteman.
Both Whiteman and Fraser Forster are coming to the end of their contracts and are likely to depart the club this summer with the trio of Vicario, Kinsky and Austin now set for the future on long-term contracts, with Keeley and young goalkeeper Luca Gunter, currently on loan at National League Wealdstone very talented understudies.
The problem for Keeley is that while he needs to be more than an understudy, he will never count as club-trained for Tottenham in European competition, having arrived from Irish side St Pat’s as a 19-year-old. That makes it more difficult to keep him around to get game time next season and thus makes it harder to break into that trinity for the foreseeable future between the sticks.
There was talk of a permanent move for Keeley last summer, with plenty of clubs interested, but now after this season to remember that could change unless a major offer comes in.
With a contract until 2027, Spurs are likely to look to improve the Irishman’s deal and extend it, knowing that either they can get more money for him in the future as he continues to impress or he potentially could still make his mark at Spurs if something unexpected happens to the current options.
He needs to play rather than sit and wait for a chance. Following loans at Barnet and now Orient, the aim would be to get Keeley higher up the pyramid next season with the Championship an expected next destination. That might just be with Orient if they continue their form with Keeley and Donley proving to be integral figures in their charge up the table.
For now Keeley will just keep on doing what he’s doing. That’s all he can focus on. The future will resolve itself around the talented goalkeeper.
Victory over Man United, talking about those fan protests & the Vicario and Maddison’s triumphant returns. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!
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