Spurs brilliant 6ft 1 flop was meant to be the next Dele Alli, now he is unemployed
Sadly, for the 26-year-old, who now faces the end of his professional career, everything did go according to plan.
At Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou is building a team of obvious potential, but the Australian will want more time to address the issues that have beset the group in previous years.
Despite the impressive progress achieved at the youth level—Wayne Burnett’s development team leads Premier League 2 and is unbeaten after 12 games—the senior recruiting class is full of promising prospects.
The youth level has advanced significantly, and while Spurs have had some incredible success in recent years with players still learning at the club, the machine-like structure now suggests continued effectiveness of output.
While a few youngsters have made a name for themselves, far too many have faded into obscurity. Josh Onomah is one of the more recent examples of a promising youngster who has failed.
The Spurs career of Josh Onomah
Attacking midfielder Onomah, who was formerly regarded as a gifted potential, made his Premier League debut under Mauricio Pochettino’s tutelage at the age of 18, coming off the bench in a 3-1 victory against Aston Villa in November 2015.
He had all the characteristics of a true star, including the natural ability to control space in confined spaces and an astute sense of opportunities.
However, Onomah was sent to Fulham in 2019 as part of a £25 million transaction that also saw young wideman Ryan Sessegnon go in the other way after making only 32 appearances for Tottenham and scoring one goal.
Even though his time with Spurs ended before it began, he had plenty of time to make a name for himself. In the 2017–18 Championship season, he excelled while on loan at Villa, recording four goals and three assists in 20 starts while completing 80% of his passes and 62% of his dribbles, according to Sofascore.
Onomah even went so far as to self-style his game after learning from the skill set of erstwhile prodigy Dele Alli. In 2016, he disclosed that he was patterning his approach after Alli, adding, “They’ve all been good to me and I’m learning bits and bobs from everyone really.” Dele Alli is doing well as well.
Even though he is just a year older than I am, consider what he has accomplished. He is teaching me as well.”
After spending almost £5 million to join Spurs from MK Dons in 2015, Alli was considered one of the game’s most intriguing prospects. In his first three Premier League seasons, he scored 66 goals directly.
The 27-year-old was even hailed by Jose Mourinho as “one of the world’s best,” but regrettably, he has had a sharp fall in performance in recent years as a result of damaging personal concerns and situations.
Josh Onomah’s current actions
Onomah played three seasons for Fulham during the London team’s ups and downs in the Premier League and Championship, but he was never truly committed and left on a free transfer to Preston North End in January 2023 after the Cottagers let him go as they began to gel and find consistency in the top flight.
His brief time in Lancashire, where he made only four starts and one assist before being released, may have been his last opportunity to play professionally. Since then, he hasn’t found a club.
Bolton Wanderers of League One were tipped to make a surprise move for the 6-foot-1 star on a free transfer last month, but nothing came of it.
Although the door hasn’t been completely closed, Onomah has to find a platform quickly if he wants to succeed in the professional game.
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