Tottenham's capture of Wilson Odobert from Burnley on Friday flew completely under the radar, a surprise transfer in an era when every detail of most deals is typically leaked and reported for days or weeks ahead of an announcement.
No sooner had news emerged of Spurs' interest in the 19-year-old winger, the club announced the the teenager had signed a five-year contract in a deal worth £25million plus a further £5m in potential add-ons.
Spurs' technical director Johan Lange likes to work in the shadows and here was a fine example of his discretion in practice.
Odobert, a France Under-21 international, is the fourth teenager to join Spurs this summer after Leeds' Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, who arrived in July after signing from Swedish club Djurgardens in January and South Korean Yang Min-hyuk, who will join up with the squad in the New Year.
That suggests the club is taking a medium- to long-term view of squad building under Ange Postecoglou—perhaps preparing for a Premier League landscape without Pep Guardiola at perennial champions Manchester City—despite the manager saying last season that he expects Spurs to be involved in the title race this term.
Odobert is set to be part of the Postecoglou's first-team squad this season, jostling for minutes on the wing with Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Mikey Moore, another teenager who is firmly part of the manager's plans.
Manor Solomon, who spent most of last season sidelined with a knee injury, needs games and is available to leave Spurs before the end of the month.
Unlike Spurs' other teenagers signings, Odobert already has a season of Premier League football under his belt after forcing his way into Burnley's side last term, having joined the Clarets from French club Troyes last summer.
He caught the eye in 29 top-flight appearances, scoring three times, a low effort against Chelsea and outstanding strikes from outside the box against Brighton and Fulham in December.
I will almost refrain from what I really think about him, because at this moment in time, I don’t think people realise how good he is
Comfortable on either wing but most often playing the left, Odobert is direct, quick and assertive in one-on-one situations, which should make him a good fit for Postecoglou's system.
At times last season, Spurs were crying out for a dribbly winger who could beat a man in wide areas as they struggled to break down packed defences.
Odobert, who should be registered in time to be available for Monday's curtain-raiser at Leicester if needed, will not start the campaign as first-choice but should be an exciting option from the bench, while Postecoglou has shown he is quite prepared to play youngsters if they are good enough.
Like Friday's transfer, Odobert's performances last term flew under the radar a little as Burnley spent the entire campaign struggling at the foot of the table, but he made such an impression that former Clarets boss Vincent Kompany was concerned about talking him up.
“I will almost refrain from what I really think about him, because at this moment in time, I don’t think people realise how good he is,” Kompany said in May.
Now Odobert has joined one of the Premier League's biggest clubs, he will have the platform to show everyone his quality.
