Notts County: Tottenham transfer call will be like a new signing | OneFootball

Notts received confirmation that George Abbott will see out the season at Meadow Lane earlier this week.

Notts County were handed a significant boost to their promotion push last week, with confirmation from Tottenham Hotspur that George Abbott will see out the remainder of the season at Meadow Lane.

Abbott has been superb for Notts this season, and the Magpies will be delighted that he will be staying for the rest of the season, as per the initial loan agreement.

The youngster recently netted a peach of a volley to open the scoring for the Magpies in their 3-0 win over Accrington Stanley, and he now has three goals in his last six league games.

Abbott has shone during his temporary spell at Meadow Lane this season, and has perhaps become more of a key figure in Maynard’s plans than many had expected when he first signed.

Notts’ January transfer window has already seen three incomings, but keeping hold of their engine in the midfield could prove to be more valuable to them than any potential new signing.

George Abbott has been superb for Notts County in League Two this season

When Abbott joined Notts on a loan deal towards the end of the summer window, few at Meadow Lane would have expected the youngster to have had the impact that he has.

It’s fairly common in League Two for last-minute loan deals to be used to pad out squads and ensure bosses have adequate cover for any injury concerns that may arise over the course of the season.

For Abbott however, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

At just 19, he has become a vital part of Maynard’s side and has displayed maturity and a top-level quality far beyond his years.

Since making his debut in the 2-1 away win at Swindon Town on 31st August, Abbott has been a staple in the Notts XI.

He’s started 22 games this season in all competitions and has failed to complete 90 minutes on just three occasions.

It is testament to Abbott’s natural fitness that even when he’s looked out on his feet in the latter stages of games, he’s found a way to keep battling through to full-time, before recovering and being ready to go again the following week.

The Spurs loanee has become the perfect foil to Matty Palmer in the Notts midfield. The more experienced Palmer is incredibly composed and reliable on the ball, never straying too far from the centre of the pitch, while Abbott is all-action and energetic. So often he has been the man to drive Notts forward, and provide an injection of urgency to their possession play.

His performance in November’s agonising FA Cup defeat at Peterborough United highlighted that he already looks capable of playing at a higher level. Abbott notched a goal and an assist in that game, and fought his way through all 101 minutes while changes in the Notts line-up were happening all around him.

However, the midfielder’s form has hit another level over the Christmas and New Year period.

He played from start to finish in six games in a row from the defeat at Salford City on 14th December, through until the win at Accrington, when he was withdrawn with five minutes to play and the three points secured.

If you could label one criticism of Abbott in the early stages of the season, it would be that he didn’t often contribute in the final third of the pitch.

That has been another element to his game that he has displayed of late. Abbott has three goals and an assist in his last six games, and is seemingly having a goal of the season competition of his own.

November’s long-distance lob over a helpless Nicholas Bilokapic in the Peterborough goal was an impressive way to score his first senior goal, but Abbott went one better in the win at Cheltenham Town on 29th December, drilling a rocket of a half-volley in off the post from the edge of the box.

His latest strike, a thunderous volley directly from a corner, arguably tops the lot, and displayed the kind of technique that only those capable of rising to the top level have to offer.

George Abbott is destined for big things at Tottenham Hotspur on back of Notts County spell

His performances in the black and white this season have only served to highlight that Abbott is very much on the right trajectory to go on and enjoy a lengthy career at a higher level of football.

The youngster captained Spurs’ Under 21s to Premier League 2 glory last season and has already made his Premier League debut, having come on as a substitute against Leeds United in May 2023.

This summer, he was also named in the squad for Spurs’ pre-season tour of Korea and Japan, where he featured against both Bayern Munich and Vissel Kobe.

Expectations are clearly high for the England youth international at Tottenham, making suggestions among the Notts fanbase that the Magpies should target a permanent swoop for Abbott extremely unlikely.

For Notts, it is far more important that they have been able to keep hold of him for the duration of his loan spell.

Notts’ first-choice midfield has altered on several occasions this season as a result of injuries. Dan Crowley (who has now left the club), Scott Robertson and Curtis Edwards have all had prolonged spells on the sidelines, but Abbott has been a constant through the many changes.

If they lost him, it would be extremely hard for Notts to find another loanee to replicate both the strengths of Abbott and the impact that he has had, especially with so little time left in the January window.

Hence, keeping hold of the Spurs man until the end of the season could well prove to be more valuable than any potential additions the Magpies make this winter.