Impact acquire England youth international Luis Binks from Tottenham

MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact have acquired England youth international defender Luis Binks from Tottenham.

The 18-year-old centre back, who arrives on a free transfer, has been training with the Impact in Florida since early this month.

“We are very happy to acquire this young player with a very high ceiling,” Impact sporting director Olivier Renard said in a statement. “Luis has chosen this club and Montreal to continue his career.

“He is a defender with high passing quality, who has shown great maturity on the field since the start of camp in St. Petersburg. We hope he’ll integrate well into the group and acclimate quickly to MLS.”

Montreal gave up 60 goals last season, fourth-worst in the league. Binks is the latest defender to come on board, joining Joel Waterman (Cavalry FC) and Zachary Brault-Guillard (Olympique Lyonnais).

Binks, who was six when he joined the Tottenham academy, has played for Spurs’ under-18, under-19 and under-23 teams. The six-foot-three 190-pounder has represented England from the under-16 to under-19 ranks as well as playing for Scotland’s under-16 and under-18 squads.

Binks reportedly left Tottenham because of frustration at a lack of first-team playing time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2020.