Think it's a really good idea, means we can get cream of non eu talent. Shame others have been doing it for so much longer!

Anything that ups our game, I suppose.

We have African academies?

i was thinking that as well...... was this around the time where we had some pre-season friendlies or something and how Hoddle signed OJ Mabiezla?

I believe that that was just an ordinary friendly tour and Mabs played against us.

We signed Mabiezla after a pre season tour of SA and we played Orlando Pirates and he excelled in that game. So I don't think it was then, however I just had a brain wave - Didn't we put on a reality TV show in SA where a player won a 2 weeks trial with our acedemy here? So could that be an acedemy we run? I remember some dude with dreads on the official site about a year ago.

Also to say 'African academies' is a fairly lose term really

I think SpursKing just came.

Spurs spot a 16yr old wonder kid but he cant get a work permit.

Thats the way around it.

Its no good finding them if you cant bring them over, the Mighty Spurs network widens.

mabizela ay.........MEMORIES

i thought he wasn't very good, any idea where he is playing now?

Mark Degryse??? Sheff wed's prodigal son.

yep , i agree , can only really help us to acquire further talent.

Not sure if I'm for this. Other than Eboue how many players have we seen in the Prem as a result of these 'agreements'. Can bode well if it enables us to loan out players to gain first team experience. But will they play?

It may be good for African football and it's good see Spurs developing players globally, what about things closer to home. Over the last 10/15 years I can't recall too many players making the top grade from our own academy - King, Carr, Clemence, Young, Walker, Crouch. Surely we need to concentrate on the development of our proposed training ground and the development of Barcham, O'Hara, Dixon, Barnard, Yeates, Ilfil, Lee, Mills.

It's great to see Robinson, King, Jenas, Lennon and Defoe all as England Squad regulars as with Dawson and maybe Huddlestone now coming close to the squad. It shows an English spine and an awareness for the English game in an ever-improving Spurs team. How about we now really look to the development of English football from the youth perspective. With our continental set-up and Skills coach we could really develop the technical ability of our next generation.

He ain't.
Too much weed. :sleepy:

He is back in South Africa, at Mamelodi Sundowns, where he just got suspended 6 months for the use of marihuana.

Before that he was at Vaalerenga, Oslo, and got something like 6 matches there before he was offloaded in 2005.

Kole Toure is another, not sure where Adebayour came from??

Agree about developing players from these islands, but does it have to be either/or?? I mean do you think it's impossible to develop young British players at the same time as developing young foreign players??

I think we want the best of each world and if we can get them early enough they can hopefully learn from each other too.

re: mabizela - i wonder if things would have been different with Jol as his manager...I think it would have changed his career for the better.
Remember the goal he scored against Leicester - he was dropped right after that.

the best part about this is that Club Brugge are ALWAYS in Europe. Beveren aren't. Royal Antwerp aren't.

To be honest, I'm surprised that a club of their stature would agree to this. I'm sure a huge wad of cash is involved somewhere otherwise I just don't see what benefit it would be to Brugge.

Does this mean that we'd get first dibs on their players too? I hope so as I hear they've got a feisty little left winger. He's young too.

Jonathan Blondel is his name.....

Oh wait. Bugger.

I really like this! With a deal like this, we are able to develop young african players, as The Jupiler League have other rules for Africans.

I would be very happy to see this deal confirmed.

spot on........ i remember that kid... he came on during an half time interval during a game!!