Matthew Craig: "I’ve been here eight years now, so it feels like home"

Tottenham Hotspur is where the heart is for Matthew Craig.

“I’ve been here eight years now, so it feels like home,” said the 20-year-old, who has signed a new contract with the Club until 2026. “It feels excellent to be able to commit to this club. It’s been something that’s been in the works for a while so to get it sorted is a great feeling.

“Being here for so long, you get to know a lot of the people around here and feel comfortable in this environment.”

The youngster's new contract comes on the back of a dream end to the 2022/23 campaign for Matthew as he made his first team debut in our 4-1 win at Leeds United on the final day of the Premier League season - a dream moment that he is hungry to experience again.

"Making your Premier League debut is something every young boy dreams of growing up," he said. "At the time we were winning so I was just hoping I could keep that going and make an impression to show I belong out there. It felt special when they turned around to call my name for the first time.

"My family were all watching on from home, there’s always a chance you can come on in the final day of the season, and they were obviously overjoyed as well.

"I think training every day at maximum percentage and playing games all the time really helped me get to that level. When you go out there, I’ve said before to friends and family, the first few seconds were really surreal but then after that you just settle in and it’s a great feeling."

His first senior appearance came off the back of a strong term from a personal perspective for our Under-21s as Matthew was ever-present in our Premier League 2 campaign.

While he favours a holding midfield role, the Scotland Under-21 international showed great versatility across the season, filling in across our backline when required. That adaptability is something he prides himself on while his commitment to the cause saw him entrusted with the captain's armband towards the end of the season, having also worn it in both the Under-19 UEFA Youth League and EFL Trophy.

“Being able to be a leader within the group is something I relish,” he added. “I enjoy helping my teammates in situations and leading by example is something that I take quite personally.

“It's important to be a good communicator in my opinion. When you train with the first team you see the importance of talking and communicating with your teammates, so being positive and communicating well is only going to help the team.

“I would say my favourite position is holding midfield but, whether it’s playing across the backline, anything to help the team I’m willing to do. Having the versatility to be able to do that is a positive and only increases the chances of being able to play.”

So, what next? “From here it’s about trying to make sure I push into the first team,” said Matthew. “When you get out there you want to repeat it all the time, so hopefully try and get some games and impress the new manager as much as possible.”

Watch our Under-21s live on SPURSPLAY