Ostersund’s FK sporting director David Webb has revealed Tottenham Hotspur tried to sign Crystal Place forward Francis Jno-Baptiste when he was a scout with the North London club.
The 19 year old has joined the Swedish club on loan after impressing for Crystal Palace’s youth side last season.
Speaking to OFK’s official website, Webb spoke openly about Tottenham’s interest in forward: “He’s a good character player. When I was at Tottenham, we tried to sign 16-year-old Jno-Baptiste from Crystal Palace, but they did not want to sell him. It feels great that he now chooses to come to OFK and play in Allsvenskan. It will be interesting to see how he will develop in our team.”
Today it was confirmed Jno-Baptiste has joined OFK on a temporary deal as he looks to get first team football, but he’ll have to wait until spring to play for the club with the Swedish season finishing a few weeks ago.
Baptiste came through the Crystal Palace academy but has yet to make his senior debut for the Premier League side. Last season the youngster scored 15 times for the Eagles’ U18 side, which resulted in him stepping up to the U23s squad.
A loan move could give the attacker much needed first team football and experience of playing in a top flight league.
ND