Thomas Frank names the young Tottenham player who has 'huge potential'

A trio of Tottenham players will be taking a trip down memory lane on Wednesday night and one will have some fond childhood memories of tonight's stadium

It will be a full circle moment for Wilson Odobert when he steps back on to the pitch at the Parc des Princes as Tottenham take on PSG in the Champions League.

Three Spurs players will be returning to the club they have played for with Odobert and Xavi Simons both coming through the Ligue 1 outfit's academy and Randal Kolo Muani currently on loan from the Parisian giants. Odobert turned down a professional contract from PSG after five years in their youth set-up, but did enjoy one big memory as a 15-year-old ball boy on a Champions League night in the Parc de Princes in 2019.

"I remember holding the big UEFA flag and now it is so great to be able to be back as a player,” said the 20-year-old. "It was such a dream and now I have objectives and goals, because I am not a kid any more, I want to perform and give as much as I can back to my team."

It was a story that inspired Odobert's Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank, who believed it demonstrated the beauty of football.

"What a wonderful story with Wilson there, being part of that as a 15-year-old player. Now he's sitting here, I think we need to remember that. We always forget that in all the focus on winning and losing. That’s what football’s about," he said. "That’s why we do it. We're all part of loving football and we started, all of us, playing in different levels. That's why we're here."

Frank has high hopes for Odobert as he looks to rebuild a Tottenham team that has lost its biggest attacking stars in recent years in Harry Kane and then captain Son Heung-min to Bayern Munich and LAFC respectively.

This current Tottenham side and Frank have been criticised for not playing with the free-flowing attacking style the fans demand and the Dane was asked how long it would take to build something more adventurous.

"I think hopefully it will not take that long time, but it's fair to say, the young man next to me, Wilson, who I think is a fantastic player and has got huge potential, I think he, compared to last season, is really taking a step up and I’ve a big hope for Wilson, but he's still taking over from a club legend in Sonny, for example, who played last year," said Frank.

"And Maddison and Solanke and Kulusevski, who were the main guys, I’ve said that before. That’s not saying that Wilson, Brennan [Johnson], Mo [Kudus], Xavi, Mathys [Tel], Richy, whatever, they can't do it. It just takes a little bit of time in that. And then the next bit, we have to play every third day in Premier League and in Champions League. So just, no complaints, just the way it is. It just makes it a little bit more complicated."

Odobert is looking forward to continuing his relationship with fellow PSG alumni Xavi and Kolo Muani over the coming months at Tottenham.

"Being younger and playing with Xavi, we definitely have a natural connection. It is the same with the other players though. I am trying to connect with everyone, but I know Xavi very well. It is lovely to combine with him, if he wants to combine with me, and it’s really natural to combine together," he said.

"Kolo Muani is a quality player. To have him with us is really beneficial. He always gives the best of his ability at training as well. It can only be beneficial for us."

Odobert lost much of his first season at Spurs to a serious hamstring injury and a subsequent setback following his £30million move from Burnley and he told football.london that it would not stop him making an impact at the north London club.

"I always gave my all. I was injured, but I worked hard to get back to my level. I'm young. I don't limit myself," he said. "I have goals and I will always give my all, no matter what happens."