Spurs signing Martin Dubravka looks like another show of faith in Antonin Kinsky
After promising heavy investment, Tottenham Hotspur’s majority shareholders, the Lewis family, appear to be following through on a comprehensive squad overhaul not seen since the not-so-magnificent seven replaced Gareth Bale in 2013.
The scale this summer could be even greater (and hopefully with a higher hit rate). With the announcement that Martin Dubravka will join the club upon the expiry of his contract with Burnley on July 1, Tottenham have completed four signings.
There are strong links to Sandro Tonali, who is valued at around £100million ($133m) by Newcastle United, and Mateus Fernandes, who is understood to be available for £80m ($106.7m) from recently-relegated West Ham United. That is before the inevitable reinforcements in attacking areas.
As such, there are few spots in Roberto De Zerbi’s starting XI that are set in stone. After signing a new contract, Tottenham have shown commitment to Pedro Porro as a starting right-back. Discussions to extend Micky van de Ven’s could follow. These are highly coveted international players with pedigree, and it’s no surprise that De Zerbi wants to build around those profiles.
Antonin Kinsky looks set to sign a new deal too, which reflects a remarkable ascendance.
Kinsky was substituted after just 17 minutes away to Atletico by then manager Igor Tudor (Thomas Cox/Getty Images)
It was March 10 when Kinsky, 23, had a humiliating night in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid. At the time, many speculated that the game, in which he twice made mistakes leading to Atletico goals before being substituted in the 17th minute of a 5-2 defeat, could be the end of the 23-year-old’s career at the top level.
Loris Karius was served up as the inescapable comparison after his performance for Liverpool against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final.
Karius, who is understood to have suffered a concussion during the match before committing two errors that led to goals, has forged a respectable career as a back-up across Europe and is now the starting goalkeeper for Schalke, who won the German second tier last season. Still, his name is forever associated with that night in Kyiv. For Kinsky, his sliding-doors moment proved to be his making.
The signing of Dubravka, a capable top-flight goalkeeper and competent back-up, indicates that De Zerbi is placing faith in Kinsky, the goalkeeper who served him well as Tottenham staved off relegation on the final day of the season.
He was outstanding after replacing Guglielmo Vicario for the final seven games of the league season, with the Italian recovering from a hernia operation. With interest from around Italy, Vicario could return to Serie A after three years in north London.
Kinsky, along with significant improvements in the back line and as a team-wide pressing unit, was crucial as Tottenham established themselves as De Zerbi transformed their defensive record. Kinsky kept two clean sheets and Spurs limited opponents to one goal or fewer in five of those seven games. His performance against Leeds United, in which he made two world-class saves to earn his side an important point, should be remembered among the most influential goalkeeping displays in recent club history.
He is among the Premier League’s best distributors, making him a tailor-made fit for De Zerbi, who views his goalkeepers as an integral part of his attacking build-up. His ability to execute passes over the press and through lines is an elite quality, and there are few goalkeepers available with the capacity to find team-mates across short, medium, and long distances.
Roberto De Zerbi gave Antonin Kinsky a key role in the run in (Mark Leech/Getty Images)
He clearly has the technical quality and mental fortitude to succeed at the top. Still, it would be disingenuous to overlook that placing such faith in someone with his inexperience is a brave, and risky, decision.
Tottenham could easily point to Manchester United’s Senne Lammens, who is four months younger than Kinsky and was a relatively unknown quantity from Antwerp, in Belgium, before thriving at Old Trafford last season.
The often-blocked pathway for goalkeepers can mean they emerge in unlikely ways, finding their way to the top level after proving themselves in lower leagues or benefiting from an injury, and Kinsky thrived in those circumstances. But it’s one thing deputising for six weeks, and another entirely to be entrusted with No 1 status at a club with ambitions to return to the Champions League.
His run as stand-in No 1 was encouraging, but data analysts advise against concluding from such a small sample size. Reliability with his hands and feet is now expected and counted on. Mistakes are inevitable for goalkeepers, but if Tottenham are to realise their potential next season, they must be few and far between. There are question marks over his positioning, with a trend of failing to get close to conceded goals and of standing too close to his near post.
Tottenham are clearly committed to spending heavily, and an early hiccup or two could prompt De Zerbi to take similar action to Pep Guardiola last year, who replaced James Trafford with Gianluigi Donnarumma at Manchester City after a shaky start.
But De Zerbi and goalkeepier coach Fabian Otte, who worked with Alisson in Liverpool’s title-winning season in 2024-25, appear to have put their faith in Kinsky.
If his stellar end to last season is an indication of the future, few will put it past him holding the No 1 shirt for years to come.