‘He reminds me of a couple of big midfielders I played at Charlton with!’ – Chris Powell on Nile John’s loan move

Chris Powell is rooting for Tottenham midfielder Nile John to be a loan hit at Charlton Athletic.

The Addicks made the 18-year-old – capped by England at U19 level – their third signing of the January transfer window.

Powell, who won promotion with Charlton as a player and as a manager, is head of coaching at Spurs’ academy and came back to Sparrows Lane when the highly-rated teenager wrapped up his temporary move to SE7.

“He reminds me of a couple of really big midfielders that I played alongside at Charlton,” Powell told the South London Press. “I won’t mention them by name – because I don’t want to put any pressure on him! I’m sure the fans can work that out themselves when they see him.

“But he understands the game really well for one so young. He works terribly hard and trains well.

“He has a good personality, on and off the pitch. He’s a bit of a problem-solver as well – which we like at Spurs. We always challenge the players to sometimes work things out for themselves because that is what you have to do in a split second.

“He is very good at seeing how a match is going and then adjusts his game. It’s one of the things I noticed very early on when I watched him for the youth team last year.

“I knew that there would be interest in him. He has trained a lot with the first team – regardless of who the manager is. They have all had him over with them – Jose [Mourinho], Nuno [Espirito Santo] and Antonio [Conte] – and he has fitted in easily, seamlessly.

“It’s very hard to get into a Premier League squad, let alone the team, but he has travelled and been amongst it.

“This will just add to his game, playing for Charlton in League One. He’s an all-round midfielder who has really pushed on in our U23s. He scores and assists and he’s a bright player who comes alive in the opponent’s half. He’s added goals to his game this year – he can drift past players.

“We primarily play him as an attacking midfielder but he’s got a good understanding, in some games he has played deeper. It will be a real test for him at League One level but we have no doubts about his quality and his potential. It will be a very, very beneficial loan for him – and for Charlton and us. He will go to a club I know well and that I recommended when I heard there was interest. Straight away I knew with John [Jackson], Jason [Euell] and I’d been speaking with Steve Gallen, that he would add to the group.

“He is a young player and he is confident. I said if he has any issues that I’m all there. He has to find his own way. He’s a young man at the start of his career. But he will benefit hugely from being with Charlton.

“I hope he represents himself well, represents Charlton well and represents Tottenham Hotspur well. I hope the fans take to him and show the support they can do to players at The Valley.”

John joined Tottenham at the age of seven. He made his professional debut against Wolfsburg in the Europa League last season.

“It’s a club that is close to my heart and always will be for playing and managing reasons,” said Powell. “With Jacko there now, who was my skipper, and Jason – I know he will be well looked after. But more importantly he’ll be looked after by the wider staff and supporters.

“It’s a great arena and place to play. They are a club that has brilliant support away from home, I saw there were a couple of thousand at Cheltenham. I said to him: ‘That’s a proper club who shouldn’t be in that division – but are’. I hope they work their way back with the guys in charge now.

“It’s a brilliant place for Nile to play and, more importantly, I can go and watch him! I’ll be proud of him wearing the red of Charlton. We know it is a big step for him. But we feel he has enough to handle what will be thrown his way from now until the end of the season.”