Spurs teenager Moore joins Rangers on loan

Mikey Moore has one goal and two assists in his first 21 appearances for Tottenham

Rangers have completed a season-long loan deal for Tottenham Hotspur forward Mikey Moore.

The 17-year-old is regarded as one of English football's brightest young talents and has scored once for the London club in 21 appearances.

"As soon as I heard Rangers were interested and wanted me to come, it was a massive opportunity for me," the teenager told RangersTV.

"I think with the new boss and the way that we play, it's a great place to be at the minute. It was a pretty easy decision for me to come here."

There was English Championship interest in Moore, but he said: "I wanted to come to a place where you need to win every week. I want to play under that sort of pressure."

Moore is the youngest player to have played for Tottenham in the Premier League, having made his debut at the age of 16 years and 277 days in May 2024.

The England Under-19 international also became the youngest player to start a Premier League match for the club in October.

He broke Spurs great Jimmy Greaves' record of becoming the youngest English scorer in a major European competition during the club's Europa League-winning campaign last season.

"His profile as a brave, aggressive attacking player is one that we were keen to add to the squad, and he is certainly a player who, despite his age, can make an impact on the team from day one," said Rangers head coach Russell Martin.

"He is a player with huge potential, and it is testament to his quality that he has been entrusted by Spurs in both the Premier League and Europa League with such regularity over the last 18 months."

'Massive' Ibrox endorsement from Defoe

Moore sought advice from former Spurs and Rangers striker Jermain Defoe before committing to the temporary switch.

The former England international was at Ibrox from 2019 to 2022, scoring 32 goals, while he coached Moore in the Tottenham under-18 side.

"As soon as I called him, he said 'if you've got an opportunity to go to Rangers, you take it'," the teenager explained.

"I'm really close with him and speaking to him was massive. He only said good things about the club and the people here.

"What Jermain did in his career was special. I'm lucky enough to be still learning from him all the time. Now I'm excited to do something here myself."