Highlights
Tottenham have one of the best generations of academy talents at the moment.
Ange Postecoglou has given minutes to plenty of bright young stars during the 2024 pre-season.
Mikey Moore is highly sought after but Spurs want to fast-track him into the first team.
Tottenham Hotspur boast an immense pedigree in the world of football. Despite not winning a trophy since 2008, they are historically seen as one of the most successful teams in the world, with a selection of the greatest players of all time plying their trade in north London.
The club motto, 'Audere est Facere' - 'To dare is to do' - runs throughout the core of the club, highlighting how they should play with energy and attacking freedom. That includes the academy — and Spurs are currently producing a golden generation at Hotspur Way.
All the academy hopefuls will be trying to break into Ange Postecoglou's first-team squad on a regular basis — and with the Australian highlighting his willingness to work with youth throughout his time in the capital, their dreams may not be so far-fetched. From strikers to centre-backs, here's a rundown of Tottenham's best academy players who could help the club win a trophy in the coming seasons.
Ranking Factors
Current Ability - Players about to break through into the first team have been ranked higher.
Potential Ability - They might be younger, but players with higher potential, due to their natural skill, are near the top of the list.
Stats - Key figures, such as goals and assists, offer a general view of a player's performance.
Defensive midfielder
George Abbott has been at Tottenham since the age of seven, slowly climbing up the ranks. Now 18, the defensive midfielder is hoping to work his way into Postecoglou's first-team plans during the 2024/25 campaign.
He made his senior and professional debut with the club when he came on as a late substitute in a 4-1 Premier League win over Leeds United in May 2023, whilst in the following campaign, he captained the U21s side to the Premier League 2 title. As a powerful but composed defensive midfielder, he has his whole career ahead of him, whilst his ability to cover at full-back could prove crucial in the coming seasons.
Central midfielder
Alfie Devine will be a familiar name to most Spurs fans. He was handed his senior debut in January 2021 at the age of 16 years and 163 days old by Jose Mourinho, one of the greatest managers of all time — and he went on to become the club's youngster-ever goalscorer that evening, powering home into the bottom corner to add a fifth goal of the game against non-league Marine in the FA Cup.
Loan moves in the 2023/24 campaign to Port Vale in League One and Plymouth in the Championship proved successful, with the youngster quickly adapting to life in the senior game. It's unclear what the plan is for Devine during the 2024/25 campaign, but there's no doubt he can eventually make his mark in the middle of the park.
Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper role is always a challenging position to break into. There's only one slot available — and managers often do not like to rotate their first-choice option. However, Luca Gunter has impressed for Spurs. The promising shot-stopper captained the under-18s in the 2022/23 season on their way to the PL Cup crown and was awarded a new deal.
He's impressed since, even playing for Tottenham in the summer of 2024 during pre-season. In particular, Gunter excelled in a match away to Queens Park Rangers in July 2024, which heavily suggested that he will not be a backup goalkeeper for much longer.
Centre-back
Ashley Phillips only joined Tottenham in 2023, but due to his age, he technically remains a part of the academy at Hotspur Way. The centre-back, who first broke onto the scene as a composed star at Blackburn Rovers, impressed on loan at Plymouth Argyle during the 2023/24 campaign.
The 19-year-old is quick compared to other defenders, is always willing to put in a challenge and has the ability to be composed when playing out from the back. However, during pre-season for the 2024/25 campaign, Postecoglou opted to play make-shift centre-backs instead of Phillips, which might be a telling sign that he's unlikely to feature soon.
Central midfielder
As part of a host of talented players, Tyrese Hall is going under the radar at Spurs. He only joined full-time in July 2022, but just three months later, he signed his first professional contract at the club. The tenacious central midfielder never stops working.
Gliding past opponents with staggering ease and grace while always looking to create changes, the 18-year-old has become a natural goalscoring outlet for the academy in the U18 Premier League and Premier League 2. Boasting 22 goal contributions in just under 56 matches is impressive for a central midfielder — and time with the first team during pre-season will only help his growth.
Centre-back
When Tottenham went through one of the worst injury crises in the division midway through the 2023/24 campaign, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Alfie Dorrington to make his debut. Despite calls from fans for that to happen, it never occurred, but his current ability and potential remain the same.
Standing at 1.92m, the centre-back towers over the opposition, acting as an aggressive and bold centre-back. Pre-season in the summer of 2024 was expected to be a major chance for him, but he was ruled out due to a serious hamstring injury. If he recovers successfully, Dorrington will continue to be a fixture in first-team training.
Striker
Will Lankshear's similarities to Harry Kane have been tentatively pointed out at Hotspur Way. Being compared to the greatest player in the club's history is naturally going to bring pressure, but currently, it seems that the 19-year-old is thriving. He scored 23 goals in the 2023/24 Premier League 2 season, including a brace in the play-off final against Sunderland. He was named Player of the Season, as his poacher's instinct and eye for positioning in the final third proved clear.
Lankshear took the opportunity to impress during pre-season in the summer of 2024 as well. He scored in their first friendly away to Hearts and added to that with a strike in South Korea against Team K-League. With a Europa League campaign coming up, the youngster may start to earn first-team minutes.
Attacking midfielder/striker
Trying to define Jamie Donley's position is challenging. Mainly capable of playing as a striker or attacking midfielder, the Englishman has impressed everyone with, just like Lankshear, comparisons to the club's former record-breaking striker, Kane.
However, during the summer of 2024, Donley excelled as an inverted left-back in pre-season. It was never expected — and it's unlikely to be his main position — but the England youth international has admitted he is willing to play anywhere. With his natural eye for goal coupled with an incredible passing range, the 19-year-old is all but guaranteed to eventually break through the ranks consistently.
Left winger
Mikey Moore is clearly Tottenham's best academy prospect. The word 'wonderkid' is often thrown around too much in the modern day, but Moore epitomises the term. In the 2022/23 campaign, he played a major role in the trophy-winning U17s and U18s, whilst also plying his trade in the UEFA Youth League.
Since then, he has been fast-tracked through the ranks, featuring in first-team training at the back end of the 2023/24 campaign, whilst he made his debut at home to Manchester City in May 2024. Spurs fought off heavy competition from some of the most successful clubs in the world, including an eight-figure bid from a Premier League rival, to keep him in N17 — and it is expected he will start to play for the club in the Europa League.