Last month Oscar Jansson was one of three Tottenham-linked goalkeepers, along with Brad Friedel and Brandon Austin, asked to give online video classes to the club's current academy keepers during lockdown.
That Jansson was asked to impart his wisdom onto the next generation is a testament to his success in Sweden with hometown club Orebro SK, where he has played for eight years following a five-season stint at White Hart Lane between 2007 and 2012.
Jansson told Tribal Football that he spoke largely about his experience going out on loan and what to expect, a subject he knows a lot about having been sent out to four different clubs during his time at Spurs. His realism, and understanding of the difficulties of being a young player at a big club, will no doubt have been invaluable for the teenagers on the other end of the call.
"I made a choice to go away to play first team football [with Shamrock Rovers in 2012], but if I didn't have five years at Spurs I wouldn't be where I am today," he said. "I was fairly close when Juande Ramos was there, I was one of three goalkeepers in the first team, but I can see now it was very, very tough.
"Maybe when I was young I thought, 'yeah I'm going to do it, I'll go on loan and come back and play', and I think you need that as a kid, you need naivety and confidence in yourself. If I could have had the career at spurs I would have – who wouldn't? - but I can see why you need loan spells.
"I was never disappointed to go away, I needed to get away to play week in and week out, and I have done since I left."
Jansson has no regrets about his time at Spurs - "I would never, ever make a different choice at that age, they had such a big influence on me" – but wonders if the current generation of Swedish players in England have made the right choice.
"I think it was maybe too big of a step to sign for West Ham," Jansson said of 21-year-old Sead Haksabanovic, who signed for the Hammers for £2.7 million in 2017 but is yet to play for his parent club. "I could almost tell straight away that he wouldn't play with the first team in the first year. If the manager chose to play him, I think he'd get boosted from that and play really well. But would he have the manager that believes enough in him?"
He feels similarly about Pontus Dahlberg at Watford, who enjoyed a debut year of top-flight football in Sweden before getting his move. "Maybe it was too big a move for him to go away," Jansson said. "I understand it's almost impossible to turn down Watford, but if I could have advised him beforehand I would say, 'Look at the competition in the first team. Are you prepared to go on loan for four or five years before you get the chance at Watford?' From my experience, I would have chosen another club."
Now experienced at first-team level, Jansson – who told Tribal Football he believes he is playing the best football of his career - would love the opportunity to return to England following interest from Bristol City last summer.
"Of course I'm tempted to go back to England, it's where the best football is played, and even being linked with a club like Bristol City is a boost," he said. "It would be a dream to play in England again. I know I'm capable of doing it, but you can't know if it's your time, so I'm just focusing on here and now."
