Shaquile Coulthirst should give Tottenham fans hope Reo Griffiths exit is not big mistake

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Tottenham Hotspur appear to have lost one of their more exciting young talents. As reported by Football.London this weekend, Reo Griffiths has decided to rescind his contract with the club. The talented forward is now being targeted by Lyon but has been linked with some of the biggest clubs around Europe recently.

The reason why, is clear. The 18-year-old had an excellent season with the club, scoring 33 goals for the under-18s. It was in a game against Arsenal’s under-18s when he really came to the fore. Griffiths scored four and assisted three as Spurs blew away their rivals 9-0.

So seeing him leave is seen as a big mistake by Tottenham and fans are disappointed by his exit.

However, despite his immense promise, Tottenham fans should not yet start grabbing pitchforks. The teenager struggled in games at a higher age group. There were many of the opinion that the reason behind Griffiths’ impressive numbers was more to do with his physical maturity, rather than footballing ability.

For example, even that Arsenal game was not what it seems. The Gunners had bumped many of their regular under-18s into the under-23s that week. The Arsenal team was very young, many just 16, and Griffiths and co had a field day.

It is a similar tale, perhaps, to Shaquile Coulthirst. He was one of Tottenham’s most exciting young striking talents around five years ago. In 2012, after putting Barcelona’s youngsters to the sword, he was linked with a move to the Catalan club’s La Masia academy.

But he never looked like making it at Tottenham. Once his physical dominance was no longer prevalent, he struggled. Coulthirst eventually moved on and next season will play in the National League following relegation with Barnet next term.

Now Griffiths could give Tottenham a headache in the future. If he goes on to be the star many fans think he will, Tottenham will regret this departure.

However, he could easily go the same way as Coulthirst and those heady tips for stardom will long be forgotten.