Tom Huddlestone was born in Nottingham and educated at Greenwood Dale School.  His early career began with Derby County youth, eventually signing for the senior team and making his debut against Stoke City at the start of the 2003 - 2004 season.  They lost that game 3 - 0, but Huddlestone picked up Man of The Match for his performance.

In January 2005, Huddlestone signed for Tottenham Hotspur for £3 million, but he didn’t move immediately, remaining with Derby County until the end of the season.  His start with Tottenham began on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and it was during this period that he scored his first league goal - against his former club, Derby County.

Returning to Tottenham Hotspur, he played in his debut match as a substitute on 31 January 2006 when they suffered a 1 - 0 defeat by Fulham.  He played his first start for Spurs on 14 September 2006 in the UEFA Cup against Slavia Prague, and on 8 November 2006 he scored his first goals for his new team in the fourth round of the Carling Cup against Port Vale, taking Tottenham through to the Quarter Finals.

Between 2005 and 2009 Huddlestone made 33 appearances for the England junior sides, and was eventually called up to the senior squad for the November 2009 match against Brazil, coming on in the 81st minute as a substitute.  That was Huddlestone’s one and only senior cap for England to date.