AFC Wimbledon saw Tottenham hype quickly extinguished after deal - it hasn't got much better since | OneFootball

George Marsh's time at Wimbledon was not all it was hyped up to be, and his career since has followed that trend

When George Marsh arrived at AFC Wimbledon from Tottenham Hotspur, there was an indication that, with this signing, the lynchpin of the Dons' midfield was locked down for years to come.

But two goalless years and countless underwhelming performances from a former Premier League prospect meant that his time at the club ended on disappointing terms.

And since leaving the South London club, things have not gotten much better for Marsh - even though he has embarked on a European adventure.

George Marsh was meant to be the future of the Dons' midfield - it did not turn out that way

When the now 26-year-old midfielder signed for the club, it was heralded as a fantastic coup.

Arriving in the same summer as former Chelsea youngster Luke McCormick, manager, at the time, Mark Robinson looked to be building a team filled with potential, both in terms of ability and value.

And he got a glowing reference from the man that signed him up to be a Don, with Robinson telling the club website of how chuffed he was that Marsh had signed following his release from Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking to the club, he said: "I spoke to several people who have worked with George and they all came back with the same glowing reference.

"George has excellent ability and a mentality to improve and succeed. When George Dobson said he was not re-signing, George Marsh was the obvious replacement as he is potentially a player with the same attributes, and he’s younger.

"He had excellent other options in our league, so I am absolutely chuffed that he felt we were the right club to develop him and show what he is capable of."

But things would get off to a slower start than what many were hoping for, as Robinson found a great partnership in the form of Anthony Hartigan and Alex Woodyard, meaning Marsh's pathway to the first team was blocked, and after an injury only a few months into his debut campaign, things were not looking too good.

But Hartigan would soon pick up an injury of his own, meaning Marsh, who had recovered from his setback, got his chance, and from there, for a while, he would never look back.

Cementing himself as a busy and combative midfielder who never feared a tackle, he finally looked to be the player many had hoped he would be, but unfortunately, this did not last for long.

Thanks to a disappointing collapse that saw the Dons relegated to League Two in Marsh's first season, confidence seemed to sap from the players, and with that, despite a more solid starting spot in Johnnie Jackson's new-look team, Marsh never really looked the same, and fans soon started to get frustrated with a player that they were promised would be at the very centre of the future of the team.

Moves to Cyprus and Northern Ireland did not reignite George Marsh's career

Marsh's release from Wimbledon eventually came at the end of the 2022/23 season, having spent two seasons with the club, making 61 appearances without scoring a goal.

And while he did manage to perform his main task of keeping the team ticking in the middle of the park, the fact he never scored, or in fact assisted, a goal, means his overall time with the club was just fairly average, and not at all as exciting as many would have expected it to be.

So with no excitement at Wimbledon, Marsh decided to embark on a European adventure that kicked off with AEL Limassol.

The Cypriot side is one of the country's more successful teams, and, despite a history of playing in Europe in recent times, Marsh's first, and, as it turned out, only season in the Mediterranean sun, did not feature any European competition playing time, as Limassol struggled in the league and ended up fighting it out in the relegation play-off at the end of the regular season.

With not much else known, many would guess that with things not working out too well in the league for Marsh and his new employers, he looked to move back closer to home to maybe give something else a try.

Which is exactly what he did, but instead of heading back to England, he continued to stay on his travels, this time in Northern Ireland.

Joining the nation's most famous club in Larne, he would finally get a sniff of European football, playing one game in the Europa Conference League as the Northern Irishmen lost 3-0 to Molde of Norway.

But apart from that, he only featured in seven other games, once again, looking like he never truly settled or impressed.

And all in all, with him now a free agent since being released by Larne in February, it has to be said his hype has long since been extinguished.

Which is truly a shame for the player that many felt he could be monumental when first signing for Wimbledon, as his potential will likely never be realised.