Antonin Kinsky: Could Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper become next Petr Cech?
2025-01-07
Category: news

Is Tottenham's goalkeeping crisis over? After first-choice keeper Guglielmo Vicario got injured in the autumn, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou relied on Fraser Forster or Brandon Austin.It was far from an ideal situation but, over the last days, Tottenham might have found a solution by signing 21-year-old Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague.Kinsky played in the Czech second division as recently as May 2023 but, this season, has had a meteoric rise to become one of the best goalkeepers in central Europe, bringing comparisons with legendary Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.However, there is a different decisive figure behind Kinsky's upbringing: his father, who approved a move to Spurs.Antonin Kinsky Sr is a former goalkeeper with almost 400 games across the Czech and Russian leagues and five international caps. Since his childhood, Kinsky Jr has dreamt about achieving similar success in goal - and looks to be on the right pathway.His dad has been supportive all along, also during negotiations with Tottenham.As Spurs chairman Daniel Levy travelled to Prague, the meeting with Kinsky's dad proved to be decisive. Kinsky Jr confirmed that in the interview with iSport.cz:, external "I have been listening to my dad until this moment. I would not have this chance without him."From the start, I considered Tottenham to be a great opportunity, but I waited on a green light from my father. The meeting with Mr Levy convinced him."
It has been a turbulent season for Kinsky. In the summer there were rumours about a summer departure from Slavia due to a lack of playing time, but he stayed as the first-choice goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek got injured at Euro 2024.Kinsky stepped in and helped Slavia with great performances, conceding only seven goals in 19 league matches.He was also convincing in their Europa League games and caught attention with his aerial prowess, reflexes, and distribution skills.Tottenham's deal to bring Kinsky in is worth an initial fee of about Â£12.5m, with reports, external the fee could rise to Â£16.6m, making Kinsky the fourth-biggest sale in the history of the Czech league, only behind Tomas Soucek, Tomas Rosicky and Adam Hlozek.That was practically unimaginable just over a year ago. After spending a season in the Czech second tier on loan at MFK Vyskov, Kinsky joined FK Pardubice for another loan from Slavia Prague, where his playing time remained very limited despite his talent.Kinsky started the season as first choice at FK Pardubice before a red card, but - after serving his four-match ban - there was nothing to stop him. His potential was evident.Martin Shejbal worked at Pardubice as a goalkeeping coach and worked closely with Kinsky. "He's a big pro, he works on himself all the time," he told BBC Sport."He got to the top thanks to the fact that he works harder and more than other players and goalkeepers."
'A different breed'
Shejbal has years of experience working with various top Czech goalkeepers, including Braga's Lukas Hornicek and Getafe's Jiri Letacek.When it comes to any comparisons, he described Kinsky as "simply a different breed"."His focus is only football and he is very fit for top European leagues. He is relentless when it comes to his goals, thinks even about his eating or sleeping. In interviews, he's also unique. "A lot of journalists also mentioned that he seemed to be too clever for a footballer and especially a goalkeeper," Shejbal added.Kinsky has represented the Czech Republic from under-15 to under-21 level and  earned his first senior call-ups for their Nations League games in October and November, but did not feature.His senior debut is just a matter of time, though, as Kinsky is considered not to be only talented, but also very hard-working.As Shejbal mentions, Kinsky poses an interesting personality due to high demands he puts on himself."He is open to alternative methods of everything. We spent hours talking about various ways of preparation."It's not always easy for a coach to work with a player like that, because sometimes what he did was not right. On the other side, exactly that mentality makes him an exceptional person and it helped him to achieve what he did," he explains.
A 'quality Premier League goalkeeper' in the making?
Growing up in Prague, Kinsky used to train with a personal fitness coach before going to school."I remember that sometimes I was lazy to get up from the bed, but then I got off the metro in the dark and told myself that I knew what I was doing," he told Czech website Seznam Zpravy., externalHe wanted to be as successful as his dad, his biggest idol."When I was small, we went to watch his games, and then at home we talked about various game situations and how he could have done something better."Work ethic was a major part of his upbringing - and his parents also taught him how to be calm and self-confident. Watching interviews with successful people from various fields, or repeatedly reading a book about Kobe Bryant, became additional sources of inspiration.There is still a long way for Kinsky to emulate his compatriot Cech, who holds a record for the most clean sheets in Premier League history with 202."It is not possible to repeat his career. I have a different pathway, but I hope that I will grab my chance in England in the same way as him," Kinsky said., externalWhen it comes to playing style, according to Shejbal, Cech and Kinsky don't have that much in common."I would rather say there are similar personalities," he said. "Cech was a great professional. When he did some mistakes in the national team's games, he never really made a victim out of himself, he would not be drowned in regret. Kinsky is the same."Shejbal backs Kinsky to make his name at Tottenham and not spend time out on loan."I expect him to break through and become a really quality Premier League goalkeeper," he concluded.