NATHAN ODUWA spurned his chance to play for Spurs… and now finds himself in the South Korean second division.
As a teenager, he was tipped as the next big thing after impressing during his time in the Tottenham youth setup.
Oduwa was also a regular for England, being capped for the Three Lions Under-18s, 19s and 20s.
The talented winger stood out with his fast feet and silky skills.
He was loaned out to then-League Two side Luton in 2015 and Glasgow giants Rangers while they were in the Scottish Championship.
After catching the eye of Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino when he was north of the border, the club tried to tie Oduwa down to a new contract.
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But he was reportedly told he would remain behind fellow youngsters Josh Onomah and Alex Pritchard in the hunt for first-team chances.
Oduwa is said to have believed he was ready for senior football and rejected Spurs’ contract offer.
Sky Sports claimed at the time that his agent was trying to convince him to sign the deal.
But Oduwa still refused and following further loans to Colchester and Peterborough, he quit Tottenham in 2017.
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The ex-wonderkid then made a surprise move to Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana, winning the league title with the club after one year.
A transfer to Danish outfit Vejle Boldklub was next – but he saw his contract terminated after just three months.
Oduwa then played 16 times for Israel’s Hapoel Hadera before turning up in Ireland with Dundalk.
He formed part of the side that played in a Europa League group that contained Arsenal in 2020.
Oduwa’s journeyman career continued as he had spells with Azerbaijani duo Shamakhi and Turan Tovuz.
Now aged 27, the one-time hot prospect recently agreed a deal with South Korean second tier side Chungbuk Cheongju.
It is Oduwa’s 12th club.
However, he is not the only failed Tottenham wonderkid who has seen their career take a turn after refusing a new contract.
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Reo Griffiths outscored Harry Kane as an Under-18 and had top European sides chasing his signature.
But, following his release by Doncaster in November, the free agent is now training with Sunday league team Critics FC to keep fit.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
