Heard a really good shout for a player listening to the SUFC goals podcast yesterday. Charlie Sayers... just been released by Spurs apparently and still very young. Would almost be an heir to ralph of the left hand side of that defence whether that be as a left centre half or left wing back. Would also have good sell on value given he's still only 20.
A good shout for Charlie Sayers who is Southend born and bred. He looked a real prospect when playing for us so young. But he would have been on silly money at Spurs, and he's probably too good and too expensive salary wise to come back to Southend. After this article I found, I'm surprised they let him go.
Phillips may not be the only teenage talent whom Postecoglou could turn to, however, with academy starlet Charlie Sayers having also caught the eye of late amid his standout displays at youth level.
Who is Charlie Sayers?
The 19-year-old is still waiting to make his competitive first-team debut since signing from Southend United
back in December 2021, although the versatile ace - who can
also feature at left-back - does boast prior senior experience for his former employers, after making
six National League appearances.
The verdict at the time was that Southend had a real talent on their hands, with Sayers having been the recipient of notable praise from then-boss Phil Brown, who
told The Echo:
“I think Charlie Sayers has been outstanding and you have to say he has a career ahead of him, there’s no doubt about it. He’s got two games under his belt now but is he going to make mistakes as a 17-year-old boy? Absolutely. But on Tuesday he had a team on Tuesday that was protecting him.”
That glowing assessment was also followed by some kind words from
head coach Kevin Maher following the confirmation of his move to Spurs: "He broke into the team this season and to play at 17 in a really tough league shows a lot of character. He’s got a mature head on him for his young age and hopefully he can take that forward."
Having signed his
first professional contract for the club in March 2022, Sayers was also selected to start in the mid-season clash with Motherwell during the World Cup break last year, with
club insider John Wenham stating it was a sign of the "rapid progress" that had been made by arguably the club's "best academy defender".
What does the future hold for Charlie Sayers?
The U21 defender - who has
made 17 appearances at that age group in total - will be looking to kick on from the great strides that he made during Conte's time in charge, having even
trained with the first team in preparation for the Champions League tussle with AC Milan earlier this year.
Although the talk is that
youth colleague Alfie Dorrington has already caught Postecoglou's eye, it may not be too long before Sayers is also making his mark in the senior ranks, with
podcaster Chris Miller suggesting that there is "definitely something there" for a player who "can play out confidently" from his left-sided centre-back berth.
With Dier currently out in the cold, any injuries to either Van de Ven or Romero are likely to mean that Dorrington, Phillips or Sayers may be called upon to plug the gap, with there an opportunity for someone to stake their claim in the near future.
While such a dearth of senior options at centre-back could be of concern, having a figure like Sayers, in particular, waiting in the background is truly exciting indeed for those at Hotspur Way.
