Left for £0, now worth £16.2m: Levy will regret Spurs howler on "explosive" 27 G/A gem - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur will surely be reeling from their decision to let Noni Madueke leave for nothing in 2018.

No one could’ve predicted his rise but the 19-year-old sensation has now emerged as one of Europe’s brightest prospects outside of the five major leagues.

The electrifying winger made his debut for the Lilywhites’ U18 squad aged just 15, highlighting just how far ahead of his peers he was, but Spurs were never able to keep hold of him.

Following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho, the young Englishman opted to swap England for the Netherlands, rejecting Manchester United to join 24-time champions PSV Eindhoven in a free transfer.

After a breakthrough campaign in 2020/21, where he scored nine times and laid on eight assists, Madueke is enjoying another exemplary season for the Dutch giants.

A muscle injury has curtailed his progress somewhat but that hasn’t stopped him from making his mark whenever he has featured – as per Transfermarkt, the former Tottenham gem has delivered ten direct contributions across 20 appearances, managing a goal or assist once every 112.9 minutes.

It’s 27 goals and assists from only 56 senior appearances, which is remarkable, even for the Dutch top-flight.

“He’s fast and has the capability to trick his opponent. He brings creativity and is very explosive in his actions. That’s what PSV needs,” once claimed former PSV midfielder Tommie van de Leegte.

Whilst it is the influence of former Red Devils forward Ruud van Nistelrooy that has seemingly taken Madueke’s game to the next level.

‘PSV academy coach Van Nistelrooy was behind Madueke’s conversion from a No.10, believing his one v one dribbling ability and speed would make him better suited to a wide role,’ revealed the Daily Mail last year.