Spurs have a top 21-year-old rated as a bigger talent than Kobbie Mainoo

Add as preferred source on Google

Over the last few years, Tottenham Hotspur have really made a name for themselves when it comes to scouting and signing top talents.

We’ve had the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and Dejan Kulusevski all arriving at Spurs somewhat under the radar and becoming established first-teamers.

Tottenham have also signed some players that were not long out of the academy, and have quickly gone on to light up the Premier League.

For instance, when Spurs signed Destiny Udogie from Udinese in 2022, there weren’t many in the United Kingdom who knew who he was, but they certainly know now.

That said, Udogie wasn’t an unknown quantity in Italy. By the time Tottenham signed him, he had already clocked up 35 Serie A appearances for the Zebrette and six for Hellas Verona.

Likewise, Pape Matar Sarr was already seen as one of French football’s best young players by the time Spurs secured his signature from Metz back in 2021.

Where does Spurs star Pape Matar Sarr rank alongside the world’s best young players?

The Senegal international had already made 22 Ligue 1 appearances for Metz by the time he signed for Tottenham, subsequently staying put at the French club on loan in 2021/22.

Sarr began playing regularly for Spurs in the second half of last season, and now he’s an indispensable first-team starter for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

To date, the 21-year-old has made 40 appearances for Tottenham, including 25 Premier League outings this season.

Sarr has made such an impact that ESPN has named him as one of the 39 best young players in world football.

They ranked the Spurs man in 26th place, above the likes of Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo and Chelsea’s Malo Gusto.

What has ESPN said about Tottenham ace Pape Matar Sarr?

ESPN wrote: ‘A disciplined, multifunctional, box-to-box midfielder with a commendable attitude, Sarr has a strong work rate and his spatial awareness and sheer dynamism often result in him being near the ball.

‘His stamina is also extremely useful for Postecoglou’s press as he quickly gets back into the team shape and closes the necessary gaps.

‘Sarr is comfortable on the ball but usually chooses to pick out his more creative teammates quickly, instead of trying something himself (he has made 6.3 passes into the final third per 90 minutes at an 80% success rate this season).’

Tottenham have struck gold with Sarr, and it’ll be exciting to see how he continues to develop in the coming years. He has what it takes to become one of the best midfielders in the world.