Tottenham Hotspur's first signing of the January transfer window should soon be signed, sealed and delivered, as the Lilywhites are on the brink of completing the £12.5m capture of Slavia Prague goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
The 21-year-old is expected to put pen to paper on a long-term contract until the summer of 2030 and will reinforce a Tottenham side currently working without number one Guglielmo Vicario due to an ankle injury.
In the Italian's absence, Fraser Forster has experienced a mixed time of things in between the posts, starting out well but recently being lambasted for a handful of high-profile mistakes.
Forster was absent for Saturday's clash with Newcastle United due to illness, meaning that Ange Postecoglou handed a long-awaited first Tottenham start to Brandon Austin, who performed well despite coming out on the wrong end of a 2-1 loss.
However, Austin will soon be bumped further down the pecking order by Kinsky, who is expected to challenge Vicario for the number one spot rather than simply acting as an outright number two.
Kinsky best in Europe in three goalkeeping metrics
© Imago
A quick peek at some key statistics makes it easy to see why Kinsky could be a genuine contender to become Spurs' first-choice shot-stopper, as he sits at the top of the continental charts in three specific European categories.
The Czech goalkeeper has kept an astonishing 12 clean sheets while only conceding seven goals in 19 Fortuna Liga matches for Slavia Prague this season, and no goalkeeper in Europe's top 10 leagues has recorded more shut-outs.
Only's Porto's Diogo Costa has also registered 12 top-flight clean sheets in the 2024-25 top-flight campaign, and Kinsky's rate of 0.37 goals conceded per game is also the lowest of any goalkeeper in the top 10 European divisions to have played at least 10 games.
Furthermore, the 21-year-old has stopped 83.3% of the shots he has faced in the 2024-25 Fortuna Liga campaign, another European high out of all goalkeepers to play at least 10 matches in Europe's top 10 leagues.
83.3% - Antonín Kinsky among all other goalkeepers in the Top 10 European competitions this season:
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) January 4, 2025
🥇 Save percentage (83.3% - min. 10 games)
🥇 Goals Conceded per 90 (0.37 - min. 10 games)
🥇 Clean sheets (12 - along with Diogo Costa)
Star. pic.twitter.com/7P9GtZW01v
How did Austin do on Tottenham Premier League debut?
Kinsky's medical and contract signing is expected to be completed imminently, but while the 21-year-old's move is yet to be made official, Austin more than held his own in the defeat to Newcastle.
The 25-year-old confidently and effectively came out to collect crosses all afternoon - making four high claims and winning all four of his aerial duels - while also making two saves.
Ex-Scotland striker Ally McCoist awarded Austin the Man of the Match prize on TNT Sports, and the Tottenham youth product was largely powerless to prevent Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon's goals.
In spite of Austin's positive display, Spurs still slumped to their third defeat in four Premier League games, as Dominic Solanke's fourth-minute goal proved inconsequential in North London.
The Lilywhites therefore remain in the bottom half of the top-flight table and now have three days to recover before they host Liverpool in their EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
Ben Knapton
