What does the future hold for Tottenham’s brightest youngsters?

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In today’s academy structures, a certain suffocating philosophy is breeding normalcy amongst players. The verve of attacking football is forfeited and an intensive possession-based philosophy reinforced in its stead. There are many solid technical players within the Spurs set-up, from Harry Winks to Filip Lesniak, but few that add another dimension to Tottenham’s swash-buckling footballing philosophy like those in the senior side. Eric Dier doesn’t only bring a solid passing range, but also a brilliant defensive solidity to the midfield. Mousa Dembele, along with his assurance in possession, provides a rare dribbling ability which helps break high presses from deep. Fellow centre midfielders Winks and Lesniak may go on to feature more prominently for Spurs in the future, but they will never truly break into the first team set-up. They do not have an x-factor to transform them from a Ryan Mason into a Dier or Dembele, they are stuck playing within themselves. At the level Spurs perform at, ability alone won’t cut it.

The players from within Spurs’ set-up who break through with the most consistency are those that break the mold; the likes of Andros Townsend and Harry Kane. Josh Onomah, a vibrant young attacker capable of playing on either wing or as a number 10, is the most recent example of this phenomenon. But for every moderate (Townsend) or great success (Kane), there are the outcasts. Jonathan Obika and Shaq Coulthirst possessed a much touted incision in their game but lacked the nuanced ability to thrive in the Premier League. Among Spur’s latest crop of youngsters, there are five which appear to possess the ability to become outstanding assets to the club in the future: Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyle Walker-Peters, Marcus Edwards, Shayon Harrison, and Kazaiah Sterling.

The Spurs u21 team had a decidedly average season in the u21 Premier League, finishing 8th. However, in a league bullied by over-aged players incapable of getting minutes for their clubs, namely Will Keane for Manchester United and Rowan Liburd for Reading, these five young stars showed promise. Their ability to outperform older opposition speaks to their tremendous upsides.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, a young American center-back, demonstrated an unusual blend of physicality off the ball and style on it. Throughout the season he demonstrated a knack for picking quick passes out of defense and kick-starting breaks. This style could dovetail brilliantly with Kevin Wimmer, a powerful albeit more technically limited centre-half, in the future for Spurs. Carter-Vickers still doesn’t possess the passing range of Toby Alderweireld, but his short-passing game shows a technical maturity and urgency required for a modern centre-half. The only question marks regarding his potential focus on his physical build. While quick and commanding, he stands at only six feet tall, a few inches short of the height scouts feel is required of a Premier League centre-back. But at 18 years old, Carter-Vickers has plenty of time to grow, both physically and technically.

Kyle Walker-Peters is in a difficult situation. The depth at right-back for Spurs is second to none in the league, with his namesake Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, and DeAndre Yedlin ahead of him in the pecking order. Although his physical ability lags behind Yedlin, he is already overtaking him technically. Walker-Peters is the typical modern full-back, a menace on the flank who possess both pace and close control in abundance. While he may overtake Yedlin without any major changes to his game, Walker-Peters must add another dimension to oust Trippier and Walker for a place in Spurs’ back-line. For all his ability on the ball, and his physicality off it, Walker-Peter lacks the crossing ability Trippier and Walker possess in spades. He created only one goal in the league last term, a poor output for such a gifted prospect.

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Marcus Edwards is the most gifted player in Spurs’ youth setup, with the afro-sporting attacking midfielder attracting intermittent interest from the likes of Barcelona. Edwards is the typical teenage wonder-kid, possessing a dribbling ability effective at humiliating the opposition and garnering views on YouTube. At 17, Edwards has already begun featuring off the bench for the u21 side and has scored four goals in three games for the England u18 side. Obviously capable of drifting his way through Spurs’ and England’s youth sides without much difficulty, Edwards must challenge himself to mature tactically and cement his status as a top prospect.

While his technical ability alone allows him to run games at youth level, he needs to add tactical maturity to his game if he is to break through at White Hart Lane. Off the ball, he must demonstrate an ability to adapt to Spurs’ pressing game, and on it, he must demonstrate an effectiveness anywhere across attacking midfield three in Pochettino’s preferred 4-2-3-1 (even Christian Eriksen has been forced out to the left in this system). His penetration in the dribble is a rare asset in modern football and one that could be harnessed to devastating effect.

Shayon Harrison and Kazaiah Sterling are Spurs’ two strikers at u21 level, and both haven’t reached their 19th birthday. Harrison, 18, is the striking mainstay of the squad. He bagged the joint-fourth most goals in the league (9) alongside highly touted Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham. Even more impressively, Harrison only appeared in 13 games for the side. Harrison’s greatest assets are his positioning, hold up play, and awareness in the box. Harrison is adept at losing his marker, and his one-time finishing demonstrates remarkable maturity for such a young player. To take his game to the next level Harrison will have to hone his ability to create chances for himself one-on-one off the dribble. Some feel his natural position is as a number 10, in which case Harrison will need to adapt an even greater nous for connecting play with his back to goal to supplement his late runs into the box.

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Harrison’s younger teammate, 17-year-old Kazaiah Sterling, is perhaps an even greater prospect. While a much less refined finisher than Harrison, Sterling possesses more physical and technical gifts. Sterling is able to play on the shoulder, using his speed to devastating effect against high lines. His ability to drift wide to find space in the channels demonstrates a high footballing intelligence, although at times his selfish play undermines his obvious cerebral gifts. For Spurs, a side who tend to pin their opponents in their own half and leave little room behind the opposition’s backline, Sterling will have to develop his game to fit into the system. Fortunately, he is also an adept dribbler, and his ability to run at compact defences with pace helps create chances for himself and his teammates. Sterling offers a different skill set to that of Harry Kane, one that with proper polishing can help unlock Premier League defenses who have grown wise to Kane’s playing style.

Featured Image – All Rights Reserved by Kody platter.