Antonin Kinsky's move to Tottenham is the latest example of Johan Lange planning for a brighter tomorrow in N17. Perhaps a deal that came somewhat out of the blue with the first whispers of a transfer to Spurs only coming the day before the goalkeeper's signing was officially announced, football.london understands that Lange and his team, including head of scouting Rob Mackenzie, had in fact been tracking the 21-year-old since their days together at Aston Villa.

Not signing a young goalkeeper in the summer to challenge and compete with Guglielmo Vicario for the No.1 spot, Tottenham put that right on Sunday morning by tying Kinsky down to a long-term contract that runs until the summer of 2031. Regarded extremely highly in his homeland of the Czech Republic, the starlet has all the attributes Ange Postecoglou wants looks for in a shot-stopper and he is already viewed as genuine competition for Vicario rather than a back-up goalkeeper.

Only taking on the role of first-choice goalkeeper at Slavia Prague this season following his loan spells with Vyskov and Pardubice, Kinsky excelled between the sticks for the Czech club and duly came to the attention of a number of Europe's top clubs. Moving for him now rather than waiting until the summer to clinch his signature football.london understands that Tottenham have beaten big competition to get their man as many were planning to move for him come the end of the campaign.

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As is the case with any transfer arrival at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Lange, Mackenzie and the scouting team went through a very thorough process as they closely studied the player's background, character and family before putting their plan into action. It wasn't just at Slavia Prague where they kept tabs on the goalkeeper, though, having also tracked him during his previous loan spells with Vyskov and Pardubice.

Kinsky spent time with a number of clubs as a youngster, including Tempo Prague, Bohemians 1905 and Dukla Prague, before making the move to Slavia in the summer of 2021. Repeatedly hailed as the greatest Czech goalkeeper of his generation, Slavia knew that they had signed a special talent after clinching a deal for the then 18-year-old.

Very much viewed as one of their own after finally progressing to the first team at the start of this season, Kinsky's move does bear similarities with Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall's transfers to Tottenham last year from Leeds United and Djurgarden respectively. The aforementioned clubs knew their players were destined for big things, with the young duo now flourishing in the Tottenham team at present.

Kinsky will now be hoping to do likewise after committing his long-term future to Spurs. Just like Gray and Bergvall before him, the youngster really caught the eye for his club, notably keeping 12 clean sheets in 19 league appearances this season after only conceding seven goals.

Amid Lange and Mackenzie's long-standing interest in the player, his move to Tottenham actually happened quite quickly. Speaking to Slavia Prague's official website, Kinsky opened up on how his transfer came to fruition and the late dash he had to make before departing for London.

"I was certain I’d stay at Slavia. I’d even arranged with my glove sponsor that I’d receive new gloves on Sunday or Monday, just before we left for the training camp," explained the goalkeeper.

"On Friday morning, I was at training, and there was no indication that anything was about to happen. That evening, I was with friends at the sauna and then had a massage. When I turned my phone back on, I saw I’d missed a call. I called back, and that’s when I found out what was happening.

"I realised that if I was flying out in the morning, I’d need gloves and boots. I didn’t have either at home, so I started looking. I drove to Plzen and then to Eden, where I would have gone anyway to say goodbye and take one last look at the stadium. Now I’ve got everything I need, so I’ll pack up at home and head off."

Kinsky's future is now at Tottenham. If he can indeed replicate his form from the Czech Republic in England then the £12.5million Spurs paid for his services could turn out to be quite the bargain in years to come.

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