Why Brandon Austin deserves his chance to prove himself as Tottenham back-up

Brandon Austin could soon find himself as Tottenham Hotspur’s second-choice goalkeeper, but does a player with such little experience have what it takes to fulfil the role?

We recently discussed how Antonin Kinsky could benefit from a loan move. However, with Josh Keeley joining Luton Town, such a move would be impractical. Despite this, Lille are looking to sign Kinsky on loan, in a twist which has angered many Tottenham supporters.

This would leave Spurs with two senior goalkeepers, one of whom is Brandon Austin. The Tottenham academy product is 26 years old, but he has only made three competitive appearances for the club.

Adding further doubt to his capabilities, Austin was at fault for the first goal Spurs conceded against Wycombe Wanderers. The ball was fired straight at him, but he failed to make a save, resulting in a major blunder.

Tottenham fans should not be reactionary about Brandon Austin

The general consensus around the Tottenham fanbase appears to be that loaning Kinsky would be an act of madness and that Austin is not ready for first-team football. After last Saturday, it is certainly acceptable to ask questions about Austin’s quality, but writing him off already could be a mistake.

After all, the shot-stopper actually impressed on the few occasions where he played last season. It started with a Man of the Match performance from Austin against Newcastle United. A Europa League fixture against Hoffenheim followed, where Austin conceded twice. However, he was not at fault for either goal and made three saves from shots inside the box.  

His most recent competitive appearance was against Elfsborg in January, where he kept his first clean sheet, although he remained untested throughout the match.

Based on these displays, it would be unfair to write Austin off when he has had so few chances. One poor performance does not mean he is incompetent. Guglielmo Vicario has made plenty of errors and still kept his spot in the first-team.

The Tottenham experts have praised Brandon Austin

Brandon Austin was already highly thought of, even before he made his Spurs debut. Dejan Kulusevski gave Austin his vote of confidence, describing him as a ‘very good goalkeeper’.

Ange Postecoglou praised Austin after his Tottenham debut and later that month, the Aussie declared that Austin played really well against Hoffenheim.

Former players had their say on Austin too. Pascal Chimbonda slammed Tottenham for failing to give Austin a fair chance, while questioning the club’s decision to sign Kinsky in the first place.

It is too early to make a judgement call on Austin

It is important to look at the full picture regarding Austin. Yes, he was terrible against Wycombe last Saturday. Yes, his Premier League experience is limited to one appearance. However, recency bias should be avoided. Austin has played well in every game he has played, which actually counted towards something.

This is not to say that he will be successful as a second in command next season. There is every possibility that Austin will continue to make unprofessional errors and leave his manager questioning why he ever offloaded Kinsky. However, there is also a chance he succeeds. Right now, it is simply too early to write off Austin.

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