Transfer Centre

Maksim Paskotsi leaves Tottenham Hotspur for Grasshoppers on permanent deal

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 06 September 2023

Maksim Paskotsi leaves Tottenham for Grasshoppers on permanent deal

Twenty-year-old Estonian defender Maksim Paskotsi leaves Tottenham Hotspur to join Swiss side Grasshopper Zurich in a permanent deal.

Estonian defender Maksim Paskotsi has left Tottenham Hotspur to join Swiss side Grasshopper Zurich in a permanent deal.

The 20-year-old rose through the youth ranks with hometown club FC Flora before joining the Spurs academy in 2020, and he quickly established a reputation as a goalscoring defender.

Paskotsi found the back of the net five times in 19 league appearances for Spurs' Under-18s in the 2020-21 season, captaining the side on two occasions and impressing Nuno Espirito Santo.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss handed Paskotsi his first-team debut in their Europa Conference League qualifying first-leg loss to Pacos de Ferreira in August 2021, while he also made the bench in the FA Cup and EFL Cup under Antonio Conte.

However, the 18-cap Estonia international was then restricted to fleeting appearances for the club's Under-21s, playing just 14 Premier League 2 games across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Paskotsi was contracted to Spurs until 2024 with the option of a further year, but he will now advance his career in Switzerland as Ange Postecoglou works with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Ashley Phillips as his central options.

The 20-year-old follows fellow defender Davinson Sanchez - who has joined Galatasaray on a permanent deal - out of the Tottenham exit door this summer, while Harry Kane, Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Lucas Moura, Sergio Reguilon, Djed Spence, Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga have also left the club.