Despite the emergence of a one-in-a-million striker in Harry Kane and the underwhelming spells from English midfielders Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp, Tottenham Hotspur have been short of elite homegrown talent for some time now.
This issue has also had different repercussions, such as being forced to name a 24-man UEFA Europa League squad rather than 25, meaning the likes of Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon were not registered. This forced a pile-up of games on Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro, with the Italian now set for 8 weeks on the sidelines.
Whilst there hasn't been too much to celebrate on the pitch for the first team, especially in terms of silverware with the club still trophyless since 2008, the academy has been making waves and if there is one thing for fans to look forward to it's most definitely the future, which is looking rather bright.
Debuts galore
One key positive takeaway from the opening 28 months of the Ange Postecoglou reign is the Australian's willingness to put faith in the youth academy.
Under Antonio Conte, youth was his secondary thought, and he was often known to take players from Wayne Burnett's training sessions to use them, essentially, as mannequins in his own sessions.
Since Postecoglou joined in June 2023, four academy graduates have been granted debuts, and a whole host of others have made the bench, albeit partly down to the recent injury crisis.
Last season it was Jamie Donley - now performing excellently on loan at League One side Leyton Orient - whilst Mikey Moore reached new heights before a lengthy bout of illness. The winger became the club's youngest-ever player at 16 years, 9 months and 3 days when he took to the field against none other than eventual champions Manchester City.
So far in the 2024/25 season, Moore made two starts in the Europa League before he was handed his first Premier League start in the absence of captain Heung-Min Son at Crystal Palace in October.
Will Lankshear has also started twice in Europe, scoring on one occasion, before Alfie Dorrington made his debut in the 5-0 drubbing of Southampton just before Christmas. It's not only academy graduates given the nod by the former Celtic Manager, with 18-year-olds Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, two summer signings, both featuring regularly too.
Talisman Lankshear
Will Lankshear's goal on his second-ever start for the senior team will come as no surprise to those who followed his 2023/24 campaign for the Under 21's. The former Sheffield United youth academy man hit a mesmerising 25 goals in 26 appearances last season, including countless late winners.
He was handed his first start away to Ferencvaros in the Europa League, and although he didn't score, he produced a tidy performance, earning himself another chance to shine away to Turkish giants Galatasaray. Despite seeing red for a rash tackle in the second half, the 19-year-old scored away in Turkey and introduced himself to the Tottenham faithful after an impressive pre-season.
Since then, he has been named among the substitutes in each of Spurs' last nine Premier League matches and will be eagerly awaiting his next opportunity, which could come away to National League side Tamworth in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup.
Second coming of Mikey Moore
Whilst Mikey Moore has been tipped to be a starlet, there is another youngster, in a similar role, who has been making a name for himself, and that's 16-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett.
The attacking midfielder, who can also play on either wing, has had a stellar season so far that has seen him score ten times and assist on a further seven occasions in just ten appearances in all competitions. Alongside these figures, he has also been called up to take a place on the bench for the first team on four occasions.
It is pretty impossible to pick one standout moment for Williams-Barnett, who has still not yet been offered a scholarship due to the fact he is an Under 16 player, in 2024. He has scored twice from the halfway line in the U18 Premier League, whilst he also registered three assists in the same game in the FA Youth Cup, as The Young Lilywhites won 3-2 against Middlesbrough at Hotspur Way.
The lore from Spurs' Enfield training base is that he could be the next big thing. He's exciting, a player who loves to drop in and pick up the ball and put opposition defences on the back foot and cause chaos in the final third. However, the club must ensure a smooth progression to the next steps, having already lost out on the likes of Marcus Edwards and Noni Madueke in recent years.
Utilising the loan system
Another issue that has loomed over the academy in recent years has been the lack of good loan spells for youth players.
In the past, Dane Scarlett has had numerous failed temporary moves away from N17, including a short spell at Ipswich Town which saw him feature for a measly 146 minutes over 19 fixtures, making zero starts in the Championship.
The Englishman, who was hotly tipped by former head coach Jose Mourinho to be a future star, has not yet lived up to the hype, however, he is now beginning to find his feet at Oxford United in the second tier of English football. In 2024, despite only scoring four goals, Scarlett has produced plenty of good performances and has made 19 appearances during the current campaign so far.
There are two players who have significantly caught the eye of onlooking Tottenham fans in the first half of the 2024/25 season, and they are both plying their trade under Richie Wellens at Brisbane Road.
Leyton Orient snapped up both Josh Keeley and Jamie Donley on season-long loan deals in the summer, as they looked to bolster their squad for their second season in League One. Although both struggled to find their feet in the early stages of the campaign, they are now excelling and are one of the main reasons for The O's current eight-game unbeaten run.
The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper had made just one start up until the middle of October, but he has now played 90 minutes in every game since. He heroically scored an extra-time winner in the FA Cup second-round victory over Oldham Athletic, having saved a penalty to send Orient through in the previous round. he followed up that match-winning header with an assist the next week.
In what could be an almighty blow to Orient's charge up the table, shot-stopper Keeley could be set for a loan move higher up the pyramid in the January window. Meanwhile, Jamie Donley has been a standout performer in Wellens' side over the last few weeks.
The 20-year-old has started the last seven games after an extended run which saw him on the bench or left out entirely. In this time, he has hit three goals and two assists, earning back both the manager and fans' trust, whilst he has helped fire the East Londoners towards the play-offs.
Additionally, George Abbott has had a largely successful first half of the season with Notts County in League Two and could be another Spurs loanee to step up the leagues this month. The midfielder recovered from an injury to be a crucial part of the Under-21 side last season, before making the jump to regular senior football, having made his professional debut in May 2023.
In Belgium, Alfie Devine has stepped it up a level for KVC Westerlo, whilst Ashley Phillips has arguably been Stoke City's best defender and could potentially be recalled to help solve the horrendous defensive injury crisis. The duo spent the first half of the year on loan with Plymouth Argyle, where they also impressed.
Under-21's success
In the newly revamped Premier League 2 format, The Lilywhites' Development Team continued a great start to the season as they lost just twice in the second half of the league phase of the campaign, earning themselves the top spot ahead of the knockout phase.
In a ding-dong battle with Aston Villa, Will Lankshear scored a 100th-minute winner, before Nile John's 90th-minute strike was enough to surpass Chelsea to set up a final date with Sunderland. Having also seen off Liverpool in the previous round.
At the last hurdle, they surpassed The Black Cats' Under-21 side in front of a crowd of 4,182 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to lift the trophy, thanks to a brace from Lankshear and a late goal from captain George Abbott.
In the Premier League Cup, Spurs also reached the final at Craven Cottage, and despite losing 4-0 they had a memorable run to the final two.
Despite losing 3-0 at St Albans City against Peterborough United, a victory against The Posh in the return fixture and two wins against both Sunderland and Bristol City, where Lankshear scored an 89th-minute winner, secured safe passage through to the knockouts.
Fleetwood travelled to N17 for the round of 16 but an 11-minute Will Lankshear hat-trick and four assists from Jamie Donley blew The Cod Army away.
They travelled to the Midlands in the quarter-finals to take on Aston Villa. Two late goals from Jamie Donley and Will Lankshear saw persistence pay off before the late-late show at the Lamex Stadium was needed again to beat Nottingham Forest.
Trailing 3-0 at the break after a blitz inside 36 minutes, Wayne Burnett rallied his troops, who lived up to his half-time team talk. Two minutes shy of the hour mark, Dante Cassanova pulled one back, before a penalty from Lankshear seven minutes later restored faith.
However, with no way through, the Under 21's were on the brink of elimination before Damola Ajayi's 91st-minute equaliser, and the goalscorer was involved again as Tottenham completed their comeback with nine seconds of additional time remaining. Ajayi's cross was eventually slammed home by Yago Santiago to secure a stunning comeback.
Despite tasting the bitterness of defeat in the final, it was a memorable run for Burnett and his team.
Under-18's to be taken seriously
Last season, although they ended up finishing fourth, and despite sitting in the same position this season, they are just four points off the top of the table.
There has been an influx of quality added to the side in the summer, with the likes of Elijah Upson, Ronny Moncur and George Feeney - son of former Premier League defender Matthew Upson, grandson of John Moncur and former Northern Ireland player Warren Feeney, respectively.