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Tottenham have a young star in the making set to arrive in the January transfer window and he has already said his goodbyes to his former club
Mason Melia has penned a farewell message to St Patrick's Athletic before the exciting teenager makes his move to Tottenham Hotspur in January.
The 18-year-old is one of the biggest young talents in Irish football and won the PFA Ireland Young Player of the Year award last year. In February, Spurs agreed a deal for the striker worth an initial £1.6million - a record transfer for the League of Ireland - with the potential for add-ons to double that figure.
Tottenham overcame competition from top clubs across the Premier League and Europe to land his signature and Melia agreed a long contract until 2031. The north London club put him on a tailored conditioning programme to prepare him for the rigours of the Premier League when he arrives early next year looking to impress Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank, having signed when Ange Postecoglou was in charge.
The UK's exit from the European Union meant Melia cannot make the move to Hotspur Way until the transfer window after he turned 18, which happened in September.
That has meant the teenage forward has missed out on working with Spurs' academy coaches and potentially the first team but that has been balanced out with exposure to the men's game at both Irish and European level.
Melia has played a remarkable 98 matches despite his age and been directly involved in 32 goals, scoring 25 and recording eight assists.
The Irish league season ended at the weekend with a 0-0 draw for fifth-placed St Pat's at Shelbourne with Melia playing 90 minutes. The youngster finished his campaign with 13 goals and four assists to his name from 35 League of Ireland matches and also netted and provided an assist in the club's six Europa League qualifiers. Melia has also scored three goals in his first four Republic of Ireland U21 matches.
"Never thought the day would come that I would be closing my chapter at @stpatsfc, I would like to thank everyone that has supported me while at my time at pats to the staff, teammates and to all the fans," Melia wrote on Instagram this week. "From making my debut to scoring my first league goal, winning the cup and making so many memories with my teammates. I’ve met some good people and not so good….
"Everyone has a played a vital role in my career and I can't say how thankful I am for that, I’ve made some close friends that I will always have by my side. Thank you to all of yous that believed in me and gave me a path to get to where I am today. Once a saint always a saint."
Melia will now take some much-needed time off after a long 50-game season and he will arrive refreshed and ready in January looking to catch Frank's eye.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Josh Keeley told football.london this summer to expect big things from the teenager once he settles into life at the Premier League club.
"I mean he is a young lad, who has played a lot of senior games at the minute and he is playing constantly for St Pats. I think him coming over, signing for Spurs and getting to know all the boys is only going to help him progress," said the keeper. "He is going to do very, very well."
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