19 year old central midfielder Michael Craig left Spurs just after the halfway point of last season (2021/22). The Barnet born professional footballer, who is the twin brother of current Spurs Under 21’s player Matthew Craig, is a Scotland Under 21 international. Formerly of Watford and Arsenal’s Academy, prior to joining the Spurs Academy set-up, Michael made his competitive debut for the Spurs Under 18 side in the 2018/19 season. He would sign scholarship forms with the club at the end of that season, and although he started the 2019/20 season well for the Spurs Under 18 side, he would pick up an injury early on in that season which would unfortunately rule him out for a year. He returned for Spurs’ Under 18 side as a second year scholar during the following season (2020/21), and Michael did well during that season, getting plenty of game time, and also debuting for the Spurs Under 23 side during that same season. 

Michael Craig made 11 competitive appearances for the then Spurs Under 23 side during his time at the club during the 2021/22 season. Always a player who I have thought highly of, and who is more than capable of influencing the game from central midfield, Michael mostly used to play slightly higher up the pitch in midfield, than his twin brother Matthew, at Spurs. Michael is a strong and assured midfield player, with good pace and great passing ability. He likes to push forward with the ball from midfield. After leaving Spurs early on in 2022, Michael Craig spent some time without a club, but he did trial with Southampton for a while, and would feature for them at B team level, in a Premier League 2 fixture. Later on in the season he featured for Reading’s Under 23 side, in the Premier League 2. And just last summer he signed for Reading on a permanent transfer. 

Making good progress with Reading during the current 2022/23 season, the former Spurs Academy player who appeared on the bench twice for Spurs’ first team during his time at the club, has featured again for the Reading Under 21 side on occasions this season. However, he has also impressively made five competitive appearances for the Reading first team this season. Michael made his competitive debut for the Reading first team as a late substitute in a first round Carabao Cup tie with Stevenage last August. Michael’s most recent first team appearance for Reading came at Old Trafford, in an FA Cup fourth round tie with Manchester United last month, as a second half substitute, in what must have been a memorable day for him. I would like to wish Michael all the very best of luck for the remainder of this season, and for his future in the game.