Ex Spurs, Fulham and Aston Villa star hailed 'special' by Mauricio Pochettino joins League One club

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham midfielder Josh Onomah has ended a 464 day spell as a free agent having signed for League One outfit Blackpool.

The 27-year-old has been without a club since leaving Preston North End as a free agent in June 2023 following the expiration of his short term contract. Onomah had been on trial at Stoke City last summer but a deal did not materialise.

Having sat out of the 2023/24 season, the player has now put pen to paper on a short term deal with the Seasiders, which will keep him at Bloomfield Road until January. Onomah is reunited with Steve Bruce, who worked with the midfielder at Aston Villa during the 2017/18 campaign and at Sheffield Wednesday during the 2018/19 season, with the veteran manager appointed at Blackpool last month.

The midfielder is a graduate of the Tottenham Hotspur academy and went on to make 32 appearances for the Spurs first team, scoring his only goal in a cup meeting with Gillingham in a 5-0 win back in 2016. While at the club, Onomah was sent on loan to Aston Villa and then the Owls.

Mauricio Pochettino: ‘Onomah is a special player’

Speaking about the player in 2015, former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said: "It is impossible to set the limit for him as he is 18 and is very strong. His quality is amazing and he only needs to work hard and then he'll be fine.

"He is a special boy, a special player, because of his talent, his potential and his body. His body is powerful and he has quality in his feet. I don't know how he will develop.

"Sometimes you get an instinct about a player but I prefer to keep that inside. Football is always about input and feeling and sometimes you don't know why but you think this guy can be a top player. Maybe it is about knowledge about football as we have been in football all our life. I think we have a lot of talent here."

Fulham eventually signed the player in 2019 with Onomah involved in a deal that saw Ryan Sessegnon move in the other direction for £25 million. He made 76 appearances for the Cottagers, scoring five and picking up eight assists, as he helped Fulham into the Premier League. Onomah's Fulham contract was mutually terminated in January 2023.

Onomah ‘happy’ to end ‘long journey’ as free agent

On signing for Blackpool, Onomah said: “It’s been a long journey after training with the lads over recent weeks, but it’s been great to be in and around football again.

“This is a great bunch of lads and I’ve been involved in promotion-winning sides before, so I’m hoping to bring that experience here. I’ve worked with the gaffer before and have a good relationship with him, so I’m happy to be here and to start playing.”