Binks Decision To Leave May Have Changed The Thinking At Spurs

In Montreal we all know how big a decision it was for Luis Binks, a top performer for the Impact this season, to leave such a major club as Tottenham. It’s been well-documented.

And the penny seems finally to be dropping across the Atlantic.

With reports indicating that none other than Jose Mourinho tried all he could to prevent the then 18 year-old’s departure, it’s probably no surprise the then 18-year-old didn’t take any time to hold down a regular spot in the centre of Impact’s defence.

Bologna’s interest and move to prise him back to Europe probably shouldn’t come as a shock either such has been the level of Binks’ performances.

The 19-year-old admitted that he could not see himself getting opportunities for the first-team at Spurs and decided to move in order to further his development.

According to The Spurs Web today, Binks said in an interview to Football Ollie: “The decision to leave Spurs was a decision I thought about for many months. I wanted the exposure of regular first-team football as I felt the U23s league was not doing me any good and wouldn’t help me develop as quick as I could have. (MLS u23 League advocates take note)

“I was told that if I do well I might be able to go on the pre-season tour and if I had done well there then maybe cup games and bench appearances would come my way, but I’ve seen players such as KWP [Kyle Walker-Peters], Skippy [Oliver Skipp] and Troy [Parrott] and they hardly played games and for someone like me I look forward to games and it helps me develop.”

And now it seems the Portuguese coach has altered the club’s loan policy, with Spurs now appearing more willing to send out their top young talents, than they were under the tutelage of predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino.

Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

When asked if he could have potentially benefited by going out on loan had Mourinho arrived at Tottenham earlier, Binks said: “Maybe, but hindsight is a great thing so I don’t regret my decision one bit.

“I see players my age still just training with the first team and playing pre-season games and that’s amazing, but for me I’d still rather be out playing men’s football as I feel that’s how you learn from your mistakes when there is 3 points on the line in a men’s league.”

While at one time Pochettino’s policy to retain the club’s best young players at home so they could work with the top coaches at the club, was simply accepted, in hindsight there appears now to be a school of that thought such an approach has done the club more harm than good.

In the case of Binks, as well as the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, Troy Parrott and Juan Foyth, who could all have been loaned out earlier, The Spurs Web argues it would have allowed the young players to get games under their belts and provide a better measure of their worth.