Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing up a potential summer swoop for 16-year-old Aston Villa whizkid Travis Patterson.
According to a report from Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs keeping close tabs on Travis Patterson. Their scouts have been monitoring the progress of the Aston Villa youngster and have urged the club’s recruitment team to snap him up in the upcoming summer transfer window.
A left-back by trade, Patterson currently plies his trade with Aston Villa’s Under-18 setup. He has impressed the onlookers with his performances in the youth leagues, notably becoming an ever-present fixture in the starting eleven in the Under-18 Premier League this term.
At the age of just 16, Patterson has also represented England’s Under-17 team, racking up five appearances so far. In addition, the youngster has often been considered as part of Aston Villa’s reserve team as well. So naturally, he is regarded as one of the most talented players to come out of the club’s youth academy in recent years.
Given his high level of performance in the youth leagues, it is only a matter of time before the 16-year-old gets the taste of the Elite Development League. And in time, he could be integrated into the Aston Villa first-team as well, though it seems Tottenham are among the clubs hoping to prevent that scenario by snapping him up in January.
With Tottenham set to undergo an ambitious project led by Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici, Spurs have shown the desire to double up on their youth development lately. They have targeted multiple young players across the UK, players who have the potential to become future assets for the club.
Callum O’Hare, for one, has recently emerged as a target for Tottenham in the summer whereas the Lilywhites are also targeting a move for Peterborough United’s defensive stalwart Ronnie Edwards.
While Patterson is considerably younger than O’Hare or Edwards, the Aston Villa prodigy certainly has the potential to make it to the big stage, making him an ideal target for Tottenham this summer.
However, Tottenham are more than likely to face fierce resistance from an Aston Villa side that have earned a solid reputation for developing and nurturing young talents. So it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the talented 16-year-old this summer.
