Why the future is brighter than ever at White Hart Lane

Article by Daniel Turner

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The 2014-15 season saw the emergence of a number of young players at Tottenham Hotspur. Of course, Harry Kane had the most eye catching campaign with a 31 goal haul, establishing himself as one of the hottest prospects in English football. Beside him in the Spurs XI for the majority of the season were the likes of Ryan Mason, Eric Dier, Andros Townsend, Danny Rose and Nabil Bentaleb; with Tom Carroll on loan at fellow Premier League side Swansea, and Alex Pritchard sent out to Brentford for the season, there is a wealth of young talent at the disposal of Mauricio Pochettino. Renowned for firmly placing his trust in younger players, there is an air of excitement around Spurs, the like of which has not been seen before- recent successfully academy graduates at Tottenham have come in ones and two’s- for every Ledley King there was an Alton Thelwell, for every Sol Campbell, a Kevin Watson. Of course, managing expectancy will be key for the Argentine, and his man-management credentials will be tested given the inexperience in his ranks, but with the right supplementation of experience amongst them, there is no telling what this generation of Tottenham players can achieve.

Pritchard - On his way back to WHL.

Hand in hand with this group of young Spurs stars comes the opportunity for Pochettino to instil a style of football and way of playing which reflects his own ambitions. Older, more experienced players at Tottenham have proved harder minds to mould- Dembele, Paulinho and Capoue to name but three. The Argentine’s belief in Spurs’ youngsters was repaid last season with a more than healthy fifth placed finish- indeed, beyond the expectations of many Tottenham fans.

Former Brentford coach Mark Warburton was full of praise for Alex Pritchard who spent last season with the bees, claiming that ‘[i] think Alex goes on to grace White Hart Lane, He’s got so much ability and he’s hungry for more. I think he’ll grace the international stage too’. Pritchard has shown flashes of excellence in the league below, only time will tell if his ability is sufficient to take him to the next level.

Tom Carroll has had an excellent season with Swansea, fitting the style of play at the Liberty perfectly. Technically sound, Carroll occupies a deep-lying central midfield role and has been involved at Tottenham infrequently over recent years. Harry Redknapp was very keen on the England under-21, again, time will tell whether the same can be said for Pochettino.

Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb proved to be a very effective partnership in central midfield last season for Tottenham, and while ongoing contract disputes threaten to derail the Spurs career of the Algerian, Spurs fans will hope that all can be resolved. Mason, a tough tackling, no-nonsense midfielder with an eye for goal has proved to be popular with the Spurs faithful after announcing himself against Nottingham Forrest in the Carling Cup third round. Andros Townsend had arguably his best season in a Tottenham shirt, a little inconsistent at times, he remains a bright talent who is learning week in week out and is trusted as an important member of the Tottenham playing staff by Pochettino.

Danny Rose and Eric Dier also had seasons which showed huge improvements and exciting further potential. Dier acclimatized well to the demands of the Premier League after being signed from Sporting Lisbon. Rose continued his improvements in the left-back position after a loan spell with Sunderland and, Kane aside, was Tottenham’s best young player.

Harry Kane showed huge potential in the Europa League in the early season, and when given his chance by the manager in the Premier League- did not disappoint. After waiting until November to start his first Premier League game, Kane finished with 21 league goals. His actions won him many plaudits, comparisons with the likes of Lineker and Sheringham, and the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Thus, the future at Spurs is extremely bright. Of course, there has to be some experience within the ranks too, but the likes of Vertonghen, Walker, Vorm, Fazio and Eriksen can surely provide that. Without doubt, clubs the size of Tottenham Hotspur hunger for Champions League football, but there has to be a measure of realism about the club while we bear witness to the development of such an exciting collection of players- patience really is key- at both ends of the club, from the fans to the chairman. One may hark back to days of the great Bill Nicholson, and the patience which was shown with his development of players, applying the style of play he believed in, which would eventually turn Tottenham Hotspur into one of the most attractive footballing and successful teams in European football during the early 1960’s.

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