Player watch: Josh Onomah

[Hoddle&Waddle]

His technique is very good but I just don't think he developed to be strong or powerful enough to play that box to box role in the premier league.

It's a fine line between being a good player and being good enough for a top 4 PL team.

Wish him well where ever he goes.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

 

[KILLA_SIN]

He's 22 and he needs to playing somewhere for his own career

 

[allpaths]

my biggest miss on a youth player to date, has all the talent in the world, had a wonderful opportunity to learn under the best manager in england, but never grasped the mental side of the game.

 

[Cinemattis]

Amazes me the way fans talk about young players like Edwards and Onomah as if they've been poorly treated. Its very simple, youth players with potential are given the opportunity to train with the senior squad to see if they can hack it with seasoned internationals, the vast majority can't cope with the pace, physicality and pressure.

All young players are scouted extensively, every club knows the score with every player, its professional football where players are millionaires by their early 20s, the most ruthless business around. There's a reason why nobody is interested in Onomah and Edwards, lets stop pretending they're ever going to cut it at a top 4 club.

The romantic in me is deeply idignant, just barely keeping himself from shouting in rage at you about how wrong you are.
The slightly cynical realist (the brains in the outfit) in me is giving you the thumbs up, calmly saying "Spot on, mate".

 

[Cochraam]

Amazes me the way fans talk about young players like Edwards and Onomah as if they've been poorly treated. Its very simple, youth players with potential are given the opportunity to train with the senior squad to see if they can hack it with seasoned internationals, the vast majority can't cope with the pace, physicality and pressure.

All young players are scouted extensively, every club knows the score with every player, its professional football where players are millionaires by their early 20s, the most ruthless business around. There's a reason why nobody is interested in Onomah and Edwards, lets stop pretending they're ever going to cut it at a top 4 club.

The framing in the highlighted sentence implies to me an implication that youth players will realize a certain potential, essentially regardless of the environment, and so they just need to train with the seniors, emerging after a year or two as first-team players. I think that falls short of a plan to develop young players and what I think many youth watchers complain about is that the club lacks a coherent method of getting young players from "promising but flawed" to "senior squad." Training with the seniors could be a component of development, but just isn't enough, in my view, especially in that it essentially means stopping playing competitive football (e.g., across all competitions KWP played 700 minutes last year, 400 the year before; Skipp played 400 minutes last year).

The fact that all our games are high pressure and vital (except arguably one or two games in the cups), means rotating is hard. Poch has said in the past that players essentially need to be a 7 or 8/10 to play. So, how do youth go from maybe a 4 or 5/10 youth player to that 7 or 8? My frustration has been that that pathway from 4 or 5 overall to 7 or 8 overall feels ad hoc or unclear from the club. We should rotate players from seniors to u-23 better, we should have identified loan partners who will be good for development not just loan fees, we should use loans more and at younger ages, we should give more exposure to first team games to youth players, etc.

On Onomah and Edwards, specifically, it seems they both have stalled somewhat over the last few years. I think both could still become quite good players, but maybe not the lofty heights that were hoped for a few years ago. For both, I think it may be beneficial to move on and try to find a new pathway in their careers, although I'll be somewhat sad they didn't realize their potential while here.

 

[Sweech]

Still love me some Onomah, but I think it's time he moves on and shows what he can do elsewhere. His major problem will be finding somewhere that he fits. He really should be playing at CM and stop with this AM nonsense and he needs to play for a progressive possession based team.

What I don't get are all the comments about mentality. Where is this coming from? As far as I know Onomah has generally been a very solid pro and has never really had mentality issues. Are people just conflating him with Edwards because they're both academy starlets who look like they won't cut it at the same time? I genuinely find it quite baffling that his mentality constantly gets questioned.

 

[isaac94]

I am shocked to see he has played 32 games for us, really? other than that goal against Gillingham, I can't actually remember anything noteworthy his done in a Spurs shirt

 

[Yiddo100]

I am shocked to see he has played 32 games for us, really? other than that goal against Gillingham, I can't actually remember anything noteworthy his done in a Spurs shirt

He’s played in the Europa league a fair bit and cup comps, don’t think he’s done slot

 

[spursfan77]

Interesting to see his midfield partner in that under 20 World Cup win is also up for sale with Liverpool but for only £3.5 million

Liverpool will not allow England Under-21 midfielder Ovie Ejaria to leave on loan again this season - but are prepared to sell the 21-year-old. (Liverpool Echo)

 

[mill]

Interesting to see his midfield partner in that under 20 World Cup win is also up for sale with Liverpool but for only £3.5 million

Liverpool will not allow England Under-21 midfielder Ovie Ejaria to leave on loan again this season - but are prepared to sell the 21-year-old. (Liverpool Echo)

Iirc he played alongside Lewis cook

 

[Gassin's finest]

Regrettable, purely for the missed opportunity of a great chant.

I think it was a league cup/europa league match where he scored, and the park lane were singing the Muppets song... "Onomah... doo doooo - dee doo doo... Onomah... doo doo deee doo..."

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

It’s ironic that he’s leaving (seemingly) just when a player arrives that he could learn from, in Ndombele. Josh has the skills and physique, but just needs to put himself about a bit more. And not get played on the wing.

 

[Japhet]

Hope he goes to Fulham as part of the Sessegnon deal. They'll probably lose Seri and Scott Parker knows him well enough.

 

[mill]

Hope he goes to Fulham as part of the Sessegnon deal. They'll probably lose Seri and Scott Parker knows him well enough.

Seri’s already gone

 

[Sweech]

Interesting to see his midfield partner in that under 20 World Cup win is also up for sale with Liverpool but for only £3.5 million

Liverpool will not allow England Under-21 midfielder Ovie Ejaria to leave on loan again this season - but are prepared to sell the 21-year-old. (Liverpool Echo)

So?

Not every player from those youth tournaments kicks on to being an actually good player. In fact if history is anything to go by most don't.

 

[Johnny J]

my biggest miss on a youth player to date, has all the talent in the world, had a wonderful opportunity to learn under the best manager in england, but never grasped the mental side of the game.

Also didn't get a fair chance in his proper position. He obviously showed enough to make the first team squad. Shame.

 

[dtxspurs]

Also didn't get a fair chance in his proper position. He obviously showed enough to make the first team squad. Shame.

How did he obviously show that?

Looks to me like another vastly overrated youth player.

 

[Johnny J]

How did he obviously show that?

Looks to me like another vastly overrated youth player.

For a while he was in the first team squad, at least for cup games. That's what I meant.

 

[SdB]

my biggest miss on a youth player to date, has all the talent in the world, had a wonderful opportunity to learn under the best manager in england, but never grasped the mental side of the game.

Never saw it and always thought he'd struggle.

Just doesn't seem to have enough umphhh