Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the permanent transfer of Czech Republic goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a deal worth a reported £12.5m.
The 21-year-old becomes the Lilywhites' first signing of the January transfer window, and the club have confirmed that he has signed a six-and-a-half year deal until the summer of 2031.
Kinsky will take the number 31 shirt at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which had been vacant since former goalkeeper Luke McGee left in 2017 and was previously sported by Andros Townsend.
The 2003-born shot-stopper is believed to have travelled to London on Saturday to complete his medical and sign his contract, after Ange Postecoglou's team suffered a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Kinsky leaves Slavia Prague after keeping 14 clean sheets in 30 senior appearances for the Czech giants, including 12 shut-outs from just 19 appearances in the Fortuna Liga during the current campaign.
Only Porto's Diogo Costa has kept as many clean sheets in Europe's top 10 divisions this season, while Kinsky also boasts the best save percentage and fewest goals conceded per game of every goalkeeper to have played at least 10 games in Europe's top 10 leagues this term.
Could Kinsky become Tottenham's new number one?
Introducing our new 31 🧤 pic.twitter.com/N6pSCALKMt
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 5, 2025
Kinsky arrives at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at a time where current number one Guglielmo Vicario is sidelined with an ankle injury, which is expected to render him unavailable for another several weeks.
Experienced backup Fraser Forster has been holding the fort in goal ever since, and the ex-England international initially impressed in between the posts but has since come under fire for some error-strewn displays.
Forster sat out Saturday's defeat to Newcastle, having succumbed to the sickness bug that has been making its way through the Tottenham camp, allowing Brandon Austin to make his Tottenham debut in between the sticks.
The 25-year-old was awarded the TNT Sports man of the match prize by Ally McCoist for a composed display, albeit one that counted for nought, and both he and Forster will be immediately bumped down the pecking order by Kinsky.
Rather than simply playing second fiddle to Vicario, the 21-year-old is expected to be a genuine contender for the number one spot alongside the Italian, whose weaknesses from set-pieces in particular have been exposed over the past year.
Kinsky is actually a bit shorter than Postecoglou's current number one, standing at 6ft 3in tall compared to Vicario's 6ft 4in, and the Czech shot-stopper still requires a work permit and international clearance before he can make his Tottenham debut.
It remains to be seen if Kinsky will be eligible to play in Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool, which precedes the FA Cup trip to Tamworth on January 12.
Should the 21-year-old's work visa be completed imminently, there is a chance that he could make his Premier League debut in the North London derby against Arsenal on January 15.
Ben Knapton
