Tottenham have confirmed this afternoon that John McDermott is leaving his role as Head of Academy Coaching and Player Development.
The 15-year servant, who guided the likes of Harry Kane, Harry Winks, Danny Rose and, more recently, Japhet Tanganga, through the ranks, will take up a positon as Assistant Technical Director at the FA in June.
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McDermott has been a key cog in the Spurs machine, proving an invaluable asset both on and off the pitch by producing first-team players which have saved Daniel Levy big bucks. His departure may hit Levy the hardest, as the Chairman recently reiterated at a meeting with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust that making our own stars will continue to trump expensive signings to aid our squad rebuild under Jose Mourinho.
Without McDermott, that becomes a lot harder. Yes, he can be replaced but it could take years for that person to understand and thrive in Levy’s domain. These tweets from well-respected Tottenham voices on Twitter – and a certain graduate of McDermott’s – show what a loss he is.