Opinion: 5 young stars who can really make it in the Spurs first-team

The Tottenham Hotspur first-team is looking particularly strong at the moment, but the youth squad is also thriving. So, which players will make it all the way and become regulars in the senior squad in the future?

Ange Postecoglou has already given youth a chance, to a degree, and with the likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall being signed and sent straight to the first-team, it’s clear that the Spurs boss believes age is just a number when it comes to finding quality players.

But, aside from Harry Kane and Oliver Skipp, it has been a while since Tottenham developed a youngster from their youth team to become a first-team regular. So, who’s next? Here are five players who should end up having a strong career with the Lilywhites.

Mikey Moore

This is a bit of a no-brainer, really. Mikey Moore already got a taste of first-team football at the end of last season, and he flourished in pre-season. So much so, that Postecoglou decided against arranging a loan away and opted to keep the 17-year-old close to the senior squad this season.

Moore is the most exciting young talent Spurs have, and if he’s given ample opportunity to show what he can do this term, it may not take long at all for him to establish himself as a regular first-team player. If his trajectory doesn’t lead to him becoming a superstar, we have done something wrong.

Jamie Donley

It’s almost a shame we haven’t seen more of Jamie Donley already, but it’s important to remember he is still just 19-years-old. The versatile playmaker (or left-back, sometimes) has all the raw ability needed to go right to the very top, and he will almost certainly do it with Spurs.

He’s currently getting plenty of first-team experience at Leyton Orient, and while the team itself may be struggling, this will be a valuable year for Donley. He will be playing regularly for Spurs in the next two or three years, guaranteed.

Will Lankshear

The similarities between Will Lankshear and Harry Kane are uncanny. Lankshear is strong, smart, and is one hell of a finisher, and he’s got all the attributes needed to become a top Premier League striker eventually.

It will be interesting to see how much he is used this season by Postecoglou, but the 19-year-old is a natural goalscorer, and you simply cannot ignore that for long. He’s already Tottenham’s third-choice striker, and he is only going to get better.

Ashley Phillips

Tottenham bagged one of the most promising defenders in England when they signed Ashley Phillips last summer. The towering teenager has already shown what he can do at Championship level with Blackburn, Plymouth, and now Stoke, and I have a feeling this will be the last time he needs to go out on loan.

Postecoglou has already revealed his thinking behind not signing another centre-back this summer, mentioning Phillips specifically as someone who he wants to clear a path for. The 19-year-old will be Tottenham’s fourth-choice centre-half next season.

Luca Gunter

Being a goalkeeper is tough. You get bombarded with shots, and when you save them people say you’re just doing your job, but if you let in one goal you get all the blame. Then, there’s the fact that you’re either a number one, or a backup, and the latter will rarely get first-team football as part of a rotation.

I’m not about to say that Luca Gunter can become Tottenham’s number-one goalkeeper in the future, but it makes perfect sense that the youngster can be the next backup option in the first-team.

Fraser Forster will be done at the end of this year, and neither Brandon Austin nor Alfie Whiteman are Premier League quality. Gunter, however, is showing great promise, and should be given a chance to mix it with the senior squad next season.

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