Talented central midfielder Tom Carroll was a very highly regarded player, during his time in the Spurs Academy set-up. A midfielder from Watford, who joined Spurs’ Academy many years ago as a youngster, Tom worked his way up the many Academy ranks to earn a scholarship with Spurs. A former England youth international up to under 21 level, Tom would impress with his ability to make decisive passes, influence the game from midfield and keep things moving in the central areas of the pitch, and also be very creative with the ball. Tom was in the Academy age group at Spurs that was the year above Harry Kane’s, but he would play with him in the same Spurs Under 18 side. Tom Carroll would score a good number of goals for Spurs at that level, having always been a good finisher with an eye for goal. A very talented and reliable player for Spurs at Academy level, Tom did train with the Spurs first team on occasions, while still in his scholarship years with the club. Going out on the first of of his loan moves away from Spurs, to Leyton Orient, in 2010. However, he had already featured for the Spurs first team in competitive games on a couple of occasions prior to joining Leyton Orient. With Tom making his Spurs debut in a UEFA Europa League play-off match with Hearts, at White Hart Lane.

Tom would spend time on loan with Leyton Orient (Tom provided a couple of assists for Leyton Orient, during his time with them), Derby County and QPR, Carroll did however, make his Premier League debut for Spurs during the 2012/13 season. He would spend the 2014/15 season on loan with then Premier League side Swansea City, before returning to Spurs for the beginning of the following 2015/16 season. It was during this season that Tom Carroll had arguably his best season at Spurs, with the first team. Making 30 competitive first team appearances for then manager Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side, Carroll was a player who I was very pleased for, to see him get a good opportunity with the first team during that season, having waited very patiently for an opportunity with the first team. A regular starter for Spurs in the cup competitions during the 2015/16 season, the skilful midfielder was a player who I watched closely for Spurs during that season. He was always a player who I thought had great quality, from when I first saw him play for Spurs. However, his intelligence both on and off the ball stood out to me a lot during the 2015/16 season.

Tom Carroll’s performance in central midfield against Arsenal in a League Cup tie in 2015, was one which impressed me. His passing was impressive, but it was his reading of the game and the way in which he played the game with real guile, that impressed me the most, and stood out to me as a Spurs fan. He would score all three of his Spurs first team goals during that season. Tom would spend the first half of the following 2016/17 season with Spurs, although he would only make three competitive appearances for the Spurs first team, before leaving the club to join Swansea City on a permanent transfer. Not long before he had left the club, Tom did make two appearances for the then Spurs Under 23 side, showing great professionalism in both of those games. Tom would play for Swansea City until 2020 (he did join Aston Villa on loan for a time, during his time with Swansea), and he made a really good amount of appearances for them during this time. He would later spend 2020 to 2021 with QPR in the Championship, before later signing for Ipswich Town, who he played with during the 2021/22 season.

After leaving Ipswich Town, the former Spurs man spent a season (2022/23) without a club, before only recently joining Exeter City on a one year contract. I think that he’ll do really well with Exeter in League One this season, and the 31 year old will be great addition to them, with his experience and quality on the ball. Every Spurs Academy player dreams of going through the Academy ranks at the club to feature for the first team, but to feature on 56 occasions for Spurs’ first team in competitive games, is a tremendous achievement, and one that Tom should be very proud of. I wish him all the very best of luck with Exeter City, this season.