Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Alasdair Gold & Cash O'Sullivan

Ange Postecoglou can find the next Harry Kane at Tottenham with five wonderkids ready to shine

The youth system at Tottenham Hotspur has perhaps gone by the wayside a little in recent years.

After Mauricio Pochettino's period of giving players a chance and playing attacking football, there's been a much more tumultous period of management and no one single boss has had the chance to give academy stars a real opportunity in the first-team squad, and some just simply didn't bother.

Harry Kane and Oliver Skipp are the two big names in the current first team squad to come from the academy, with Kane taking an eclectic path through various loans before eventually exploding and evolving into Spurs' all time leading goalscorer and a legend in N17. Skipp, at just 22, could yet lay his mark on the midfield and will certainly be relishing the chance to impress a new boss in Ange Postecoglou.

What should be a welcome change in terms of Postecoglou compared to Conte is more willingness to give young players a chance to prove their worth. The Australian's philosophy differs greatly from the Italian's and it is likely that many players will get a fresh chance at a Tottenham career, including some academy starlets.

football.london is asking Spurs fans who they think will be the next generation's golden boy to break out and grab a chance in the first-team. So chief Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold has identified five of the brightest sparks threatening to do just that, and you can have your say by voting for which of the five you think will be the next big thing at Hotspur Way.

Alasdair's picks:

Alfie Devine

The 18-year-old midfielder has been rated as one of Spurs' top young academy players for a couple of years now and is the club's youngest ever goalscorer with his FA Cup goal against Marine when he was just 16.

Devine could probably do with a loan move as injuries at frustrating times have prevented that in the past couple of seasons, but Ange Postecoglou will have a good look at the teenager this summer as he could fit one of his number eight roles like a glove if he were to show he can step up to first team football.

It might come too early for him but the England U20 midfielder, who turns 19 on August 1, has all of the ability to be a star in the future.

Dane Scarlett

While it ended with the game time drying up as Portsmouth changed manager, Scarlett's loan season will have done plenty for his development both physically and mentally. The 19-year-old, also an England U20 international, scored six goals across 40 appearances for the League One side.

That goal rate will have to increase as time goes on although a certain Harry Kane took his time to become a prolific scorer and it didn't come during his many loans, Millwall perhaps aside.

For Scarlett, he will need to hit the back of the net frequently this summer to convince Postecoglou that he should stick around rather than head out on loan again.

Alfie Dorrington

Dorrington, along with Maksim Paskotsi, is the main academy central defender Postecoglou is likely to take a close look at this summer.

The big 18-year-old signed a new deal this month and was heavily used across the age groups last season with 34 appearances for the U21s and U18s as well as getting experience in Europe in the UEFA Youth League. The England U18 international was a mainstay of the U17s and U18s' cup success with a series of top drawer performances.

If you want the perfect example of not only Dorrington's defending but his ability on the ball, just watch his wonderful run out from the back on the hour mark in the U18 Premier League Cup final, exchanging passes with Moore before teeing up Donley to fire home.

Mikey Moore

Moore does not even turn 16 until next month, and he's still a schoolboy so not even a full-time player yet at the club, yet there is so much buzz about him around Spurs.

That Spurs have tied him down to a new deal is being seen as one of the coups of the summer within academy football. Moore was called up at times to first team training sessions with the club's stars last season and there will be more of that this season.

He starred alongside Jamie Donley during the U18s and U17s cup success. Moore is versatile and can play up front, in midfield or out on the left and as long as he continues to keep his head down and works as hard as he has been up and until this point, you'll be hearing the name Mikey Moore a lot more in the seasons to come.

Matthew Craig

Now the 20-year-old defensive midfielder has put pen to paper on a new three-year deal he can start looking forward to the future at Spurs.

Craig made his Premier League debut in May, coming on in the final day victory at Leeds United. It was just reward for the versatile Scotland U21 player, who can play as a defensive midfielder, in central defence or as a full-back, after a season in which he was one of the development squad's best players.

He started every one of the U21s' Premier League 2 fixtures last season, making 28 appearances in all competitions at that level in total, while also playing four times in the U19 UEFA Youth League as the captain.

So, those are the picks from football.london. Make sure to have your say by casting your vote and leaving a comment below as to who you think can be Spurs' next break-out star.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.