Notts County must surely have regrets over six-figure Tottenham Hotspur deal (View)

Football history is littered with stories of clubs selling young talents too soon, only to watch them blossom elsewhere. For Notts County, Kion Etete represents one such painful case of premature departure—a homegrown prospect whose £200,000 sale to Tottenham in 2019 now looks like a missed opportunity of monumental proportions.

At just 16 years old, Etete had already broken into County’s first team, making five senior appearances during a turbulent 2018-19 campaign.

The Magpies were spiraling toward relegation from League Two, embroiled in off-field chaos that clouded their long-term planning. In such circumstances, cashing in on a promising academy product might have seemed prudent.

But with the benefit of hindsight, the decision to sell—rather than nurture—their 6’4″ striker stands as a symbol of the club’s institutional instability during that era.

Etete’s debut came in November 2018, as a late substitute in a 2-2 draw against Port Vale. Despite the team’s struggles, then-manager Harry Kewell singled out the teenager for praise, calling his 20-minute cameo “excellent.”

Yet opportunities remained scarce for the raw but physically imposing forward. Relegation to the National League confirmed County’s freefall, and with financial pressures mounting, Tottenham’s six-figure offer proved irresistible.

At the time, the fee appeared reasonable for an unproven League Two prospect. But Etete wasn’t just any youth player—he was a 16-year-old holding his own in men’s football, a rarity that signaled elite potential.

His trajectory mirrored that of fellow academy graduates Dongda He (Wolves) and Jack Bearne (Liverpool), who also secured Premier League moves. Unlike those two, however, Etete possessed the physicality and technical foundation to suggest he could thrive at the highest level.

Tottenham’s acquisition reflected their belief in Etete’s ceiling. He excelled in their U23 setup, notching nine goals and three assists in 21 Premier League 2 appearances during the 2020-21 season. Loan spells at Northampton Town (six goals in 22 games) and Cheltenham Town (three goals in 13 games) demonstrated his Football League readiness.

Yet despite this progress, he never made a senior appearance for Spurs, joining Cardiff City in 2022 for £500,000—a modest profit for the London club.

In Wales, Etete has been a serviceable Championship option, contributing nine goals in 63 appearances. Injuries have hampered his 2023-24 campaign, limiting him to a single FA Cup outing before a January loan move to Bolton Wanderers.

While his career hasn’t yet hit the heights some predicted, his steady ascent through the EFL underscores the talent Notts County let slip away.

County’s predicament in 2019—relegated, financially vulnerable, and desperate for liquidity—explains but doesn’t excuse the sale. Had they retained Etete for even two more seasons, his value could have multiplied tenfold.

Consider the fees commanded by similar prospects: Ivan Toney (Peterborough to Brentford, £10m), Ollie Watkins (Exeter to Brentford, £1.8m), and even non-league gems like Jamie Vardy (Fleetwood to Leicester, £1m). Even if Etete hadn’t reached those heights, a season of National League dominance could have justified a seven-figure fee.

Instead, the deal epitomized the short-term thinking that plagued County during their darkest period. The club’s subsequent revival under new ownership—achieving promotion back to the EFL in 2023—offers hope that such missteps won’t recur.

But Etete’s story remains a stark reminder: when survival instincts override long-term vision, clubs risk auctioning their futures for pennies on the pound.

Etete’s journey also highlights systemic issues in English football’s pyramid. Lower-league academies routinely lose talents to wealthier clubs for nominal compensation, with sell-on clauses often the only safeguard.

For County, who received no such provisions, the financial downside is clear. Meanwhile, Tottenham’s minimal profit on Etete illustrates how even Premier League sides struggle to monetize developmental investments.

As County rebuilds, their academy must remain a priority. The next Etete could be in their ranks right now—but only if the club has the stability and patience to resist quick fixes. In football, as in life, the cheapest decisions often prove the costliest. For the Magpies, Kion Etete will forever symbolize that hard truth.

While Etete may not have become a global superstar, his career trajectory validates the hype surrounding his teenage years. For Notts County, the £200,000 windfall now seems a paltry sum compared to what might have been. In the cutthroat world of football finance, sometimes the greatest losses aren’t the players you buy—but the ones you sell too soon.