We have a transfer move! Probably not the one were hoping for or expecting. According to the club on social media, Tottenham Hotspur’s 20-year old U21 keeper Josh Keeley is heading out on loan to National League side Barnet for the rest of the season.
Barnet FC is delighted to announce the signing of Josh Keeley from Tottenham Hotspur.#BarnetFC
— Barnet FC (@BarnetFC) January 4, 2024
Keeley joined Spurs from Irish side St. Patrick’s Athletic in 2022 and has been a regular in Tottenham’s U21s for the past couple of seasons. You don’t usually see Spurs loan young players to clubs in the fifth level of the English football pyramid, but keeper development is weird compared to outfield roles. I don’t have all the details, but it’s possible that Barnet’s starting keeper, Laurie Walker, has picked up an injury and the club wants a young player from a top club’s academy to deputize, or come in as a backup. Barnet are currently third in the league and likely contenders for the promotion playoff. Who knows! But it’s happening.
Anyone who’s watched “Welcome to Wrexham” knows that the National League is a physical league, chock full of grown-ass men with few prospects for top-level football moshing into each others on corners and such. Could be that Spurs thinks that Keeley needs an opportunity to get kicked around a while in order to take the next step up from youth football before an eventual move to the Football League.
At any rate, this promises to be a real learning experience for Keeley. Hope he survives! Good luck, Josh!