Antonin Kinsky 'set to leave Tottenham' after Champions League humiliation

Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky is reportedly expected to leave the club after his Champions League horror show, which resulted in him being substituted just 17 minutes into Tottenham’s 5-2 round of 16 first-leg defeat against Atletico Madrid.

On Tuesday (10 March), the Czech goalkeeper was handed his Champions League debut by Spurs boss Igor Tudor, who opted to start the 22-year-old over the usual first-choice Guglielmo Vicario.

However, Spurs were 3-0 down within 15 minutes of kick-off, with the young goalkeeper directly responsible for two of the strikes.

As a result, he was replaced on 17 minutes by Vicario.

Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke’s strikes either side of Julian Alvarez’s second goal meant the round of 16 clash finished 5-2, with Spurs having it all to do to turn over a three-goal deficit in next week’s second leg.

Several former goalkeepers – including Peter Schmeichel, Joe Hart and David de Gea – waded in with messages of support for Kinsky, while Troy Deeney’s comments were less kind.

The former Watford forward, who was working for CBS Sports, said: “We’ve all been subbed when a player gets sent off. You sit next to your team, you ride it out together. He’s having a poor time, you get dragged… by the way, he made the mistakes, not the manager, no-one else, he made the mistakes. Manager makes the change, you have to sit with your team.”

Following the match, Tudor defended his decision to withdraw Kinsky and claimed he made the call to protect the player.

“It was necessary to preserve the guy, to preserve the team,” Tudor said.

“Incredible situation, nothing to comment, you will see. It was, before the game, the right choice to make in the moment like we are.

“Pressure on Vicario, another competition, Toni is a very good goalkeeper. So it was, for me, the right decision. After this, of course, it is easy to say that it was not the right decision.

“I explained to Toni that he is the right guy and a good goalkeeper. Unfortunately, it happened in this big game, these mistakes.”

And after making just 13 first-team appearances since arriving from Slavia Prague in January 2025, Kinsky’s showing against Atletico could be his last in a Spurs shirt.

As reported by The Telegraph, Kinsky is likely to leave the Premier League club on loan at the end of the season with a view to rebuilding his reputation elsewhere.

The Prague-born shot stopper is currently contracted to Spurs until 2029 and is reported to be earning £37,500 per week.