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"Whatever the shortcomings of Postecoglou, the ongoing pattern is the result of a club trying to do things on the cheap."

Perhaps quite perfectly summed up by Jonathan Wilson, in the Guardian, Tottenham have operated in a market that has produced little to no positive results. Now, the club find themselves in a race for survival. Currently in 15th place in the Premier League, with a humiliating 2-1 collapse against Leicester City last time out, there is a real danger that the Premier League stalwarts find themselves in a race for survival.

The downfall since last season's calamitous performance in a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea has set the club on a course of failure and inconsistency. We are truly seeing the effects of Daniel Levy's stewardship of the club with minimal transfer window activity and a group of players that are not up to the task of delivering success to a football club that dearly needs it.

Defensive issues at the heart of the team

It is very easy to blame injuries on the lack of results for a side. Whilst Tottenham's injury crisis is unprecedented, the underlying issue is that they concede far too many goals.

Spurs have conceded the seventh most goals in the Premier League with 37, and clearly shows that Tottenham's issues stem from defensive performances.

Tottenham do need to work on holding onto the lead and staying ahead in matches. More often than not, thanks to Postecoglou's high press system, Spurs score the first goal but are unable to replicate their efforts as the game continues.

Furthermore, Spurs have only recorded four clean sheets in the league so far. With the absence of Guglielmo Vicario, it has clearly been difficult to keep goals out. Fraser Forster has been unreliable at times but the signing of Antonin Kinsky and the solid showings of Brandon Austin do highlight how Spurs can kick on from here.

No support in transfer window

Tottenham's transfer inactivity has been a cause of great concern for all spectators. Only one signing has come through the door, in the form of Antonin Kinsky.

The goalkeeper has made an immediate impact in his time in North London, most notably with a stellar performance in Spurs' 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi final.

However, there needs to be more recruitment if they are to get themselves out of their current situation. Defensive reinforcements are desperately needed with Archie Gray playing out of position regularly at centre-back.

Transfer rumours surrounding Tottenham have largely been concerning attackers such as Ipswich's Liam Delap and Southampton's Tyler Dibling.

With talk of signing Dibling and then loaning him back to Southampton for the second half of the Premier League season, it simply is not what Tottenham need right now.

Defensive signings are a must and at least one must be brought in before the transfer window shuts.

On the bright side, Cristian Romeo and Micky Van de Ven are back in training and will provide a much needed boost to a depleted defensive department.

But with Tottenham's current injury struggles, seen with James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr now both facing spells on the sidelines, another defender could help to balance the workload.

"Levy out" reigns supreme in N17

It is important to note that Spurs fans are not directing their anger over poor performances at Postecoglou, but rather chairman Daniel Levy.

The long serving chairman has found himselves in the middle of a sorts of civil war at the club as only one trophy has been won since in time in charge of the club.

Postecoglou is widely believed to still be retaining Levy's backing due to the vast injuries that his squad has suffered.

Speaking for the majority of Tottenham supporters, keeping Postecoglou should bring in success.

He is a proven trophy winner, shown by his spell at Celtic, and Spurs are still in a great chance of securing silverware, whether it be the Carabao Cup or Europa League, despite their worrying league position.

If one man is to leave the club, it will have to be Levy.

Whilst the atmosphere, upon external viewing, may seem disheartening at Spurs, there is hope for the future.

Players will continue to come back from their injuries and buy into Postecoglou's fast paced and attacking football.

Trophies are still there to be won to arrest the club's silverware drought and the current situation can be resolved.

At the moment, they are not in a relegation battle. With eight points separating Tottenham and 18th placed Wolves, there is breathing room.

A backing in the transfer window is more than essential, however to bring in reinforcements to the squad and create a group that can ensure that this does not happen again.

Michel Vorm spent six seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, from 2014 to 2020, including the incredible 2018/2019 run to the Champions League final with the eventual 2-0 loss to Liverpool in Madrid.

His loyalty and consistency when called upon did not go unnoticed by the fans, despite playing just 13 league games in his time at the club due to the club captain and legend Hugo Lloris taking the number one role at the club.

Although, within his six seasons at the club, the Lilywhites did not win a trophy, continuing the now 17 year drought, leaving the fans to wonder if it is not the manager and perhaps the ownership.

Vorm spoke to VAVEL to discuss the fans' concerns.

The current ownership

Club Chairman Daniel Levy is under fire from Spurs fans currently, with the loyal supporters believing his best interests are not with the club due to the lack of investment into improving the team. When asked what the Dutch goalkeeper thinks of Levy and his ownership, Vorm said:

“It’s a tough one, but from my time at Spurs and speaking with Daniel, he 100% has the club's best interests at heart. The one frustration from fans is that he may not give too many interviews, so you can’t see what is going on and decisions that are being made, but he has moved Spurs on with the stadium and does want Spurs to be at the top."

Ange Postecoglou and transfers

Ange Postecoglou has faced recent scrutiny with Tottenham sat in 15th, with 24 points after 23 Premier League matches, which is 2 less points than they had after 10 games last season in the 2023/24 season. With his previous success everywhere else he has been, he has joined a long line of successful managers at the club to struggle when joining the North London side - is the manager the problem?

Vorm stated: “I am not in the club right now, but in my time, we had a very tight group of players, we spoke regularly, we communicated and had good leaders. We had a great manager, but we had talented players all around the pitch.

"Maybe this has changed and there is something not right as the players are giving lots of effort and trying, but it seems they aren’t making the right decisions on the pitch. From a manager’s perspective, it’s a difficult one for sure as Spurs should be higher in the table."

More anger has been caused among the fanbase with Tottenham yet to sign an outfield player despite numerous outfield injuries, with the end of the January transfer window approaching. We asked the ex-Lilywhite shot stopper if he thinks Tottenham need to sign an outfield player, if so in which position.

“When Spurs have all their players back, they have a very good squad and can compete with the best. But with so many injuries and having 4 goalkeepers playing this season, the team can’t get a consistent team on the pitch.

"Transfer wise, in January, it’s always difficult, so you really need to be selective as to who you bring in, but if you can add to the squad, it can give a breather to some players, who have been playing so many games.”

Tottenham's unclaimed number one spot

Tottenham's only January signing so far was 21-year-old Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky deemed the 'next Petr Cech' by many Tottenham and Slavia Prague fans, signing for £12.5m plus add ons. Since signing, the young shot stopper has thoroughly impressed for the Lilywhites, keeping a clean sheet on his debut against league leaders Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

He has continued to impress with many opportunities in the first team as Italian international Guglielmo Vicario is out until mid February to the start of March with a fractured ankle injury. Although, with Kinsky's impressive performances, should he keep his place over Vicario?

The ex-Tottenham keeper said: “Vicario is Spurs’ number one and when he is back fit, he will come straight back into the side. He has the experience and he has shown good performances in his Spurs career.

"Kinsky is a good signing and can gain great experience by playing games and with playing games you get to know the pace of the game and also get a good feel of how the team wants to play as the goalkeeper is now an even bigger part of the team with so many teams wanting to play out from the back."

Tottenham will be eager to end their torrid league form and kick on from a promising performance against Hoffenheim in the Europa League as Leicester City travel to North London on Sunday.

Spurs were able to dominant more large portions of the game in Germany as James Maddison and Heung-min Son both excelled, much to Ange Postecoglou's delight.

He will surely be hoping that this is the start of a good run of games as the injury crisis that has ravaged the club this season appears to be nearing an end.

The home side should be confident coming into this match, especially as Leicester have only recorded one away Premier League win all season.

A must win game for Spurs

Tottenham's season has been marked by inconsistencies. With no ability to maintain a good set of results, Postecoglou's side has dropped further and further down the table.

The danger is clear. The relegation zone is looming large and it would be naive for any of the players or management to think that would not be a possibility.

Everton are four points behind but do hold a game in hand, albeit their match will be against league leaders Liverpool.

However, with Everton easily brushing Tottenham aside last week, there will be some belief that they can take a victory as they play against Brighton this weekend.

To put it simply: Spurs have to win.

Further injuries continue to ravage the squad

It is mind-blowing how many injuries Spurs have had this season.

Cristian Romeo and Micky van de Ven, one of the best centre-back partnerships in the league, have remained sidelined for the majority of the season.

Midfielders have come and gone with little niggles and issues and an unexpected illness wiped out a lot of the squad to compound their bad luck.

For this match, Pape Matar Sarr will likely remain out, along with Djed Spence. The right-back has shone brightly in recent matches, despite playing out of position on numerous occasions.

His loss will be felt hard as Tottenham lose his strong and quick dribbling ability.

Fortunately, Ben Davies has returned from his hamstring injury and can fill in but Tottenham will miss Spence's influence.

Moore to start?

Mikey Moore has been a standout performer whenever he has entered the pitch.

Despite his age, at only 17-years-old, he has done superbly well and has contributed well to his side.

With two assists in his last two games, he is clearly a threat for any team and should be afforded the opportunity to start.

With a potential front three of Mikey Moore, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham would have three top class dribblers in attack.

Arguably, Son's best position is through the middle as he is able to use his pace and break the defensive line. With Leicester focused on Son's movement, Moore may be left open on the left flank and able to deliver some pinpoint crosses.

The youngster is a world-class talent and one to watch for many years to come. He needs to play now and hopefully Postecoglou can recognise that.

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"Again, you're asking me to talk about something that just isn't in my head. I mean, we'll get to that point if we get to that point. We may never get to that point and it's irrelevant for me to talk about it or we may get to that point and then I'll look at it, but right now there's nothing more important than making sure we have a good game at Everton."

"We would love to have a combination, like when it was Baines and Pienaar, for example.

"We want Myko to go forward and get involved. In fact, he threw a really good pass that Doucoure caught and failed to finish. We want to increase those numbers."

"They are a team that plays incredibly open, attacking soccer. (Postecoglou) doesn't change what he does, so all credit to them."

My name is Wendy Benavides 👩🏻‍🦰 and I will be your host for this match. We will provide you with pre-match analysis, score updates and live news, here on VAVEL.

After successive defeats, Arsenal needed a huge performance especially at home to bitter enemies Tottenham Hotspur.

Mikel Arteta made four changes to his side following their FA Cup exit to Manchester United which seemed to add some much needed energy to the midfield and attacking line.

Spurs opened the scoring against the run of play on the 25th minute as Son Heung-Min's deft volley deflected off Thomas Partey into the bottom corner.

Again, for all of Arsenal's pressure, it was a set-piece that saw them get back into the game. Declan Rice delivered a delicious ball to Antonin Kinsky's back post which Gabriel Magalhães headed off Dominic Solanke to tie the score five minutes before the break.

Leandro Trossard scored the match-winner on the the 44th minute as his strike across goal caught out Kinsky, sending the home crowd into pandemonium.

We learnt four things from the Gunners' North London Derby win.

Arsenal are still in the hunt

Despite their slight dip in form and current injury crisis, the Gunners find themselves just four points behind table toppers Liverpool FC. The Reds do have a game in hand, but have shown dwindling signs in recent weeks.

Arsenal have dominated their last five fixtures in terms of chances created, but have lacked that cutting edge that could swing results in their favour. Only Liverpool have scored more league goals than Arsenal this season, but watching the home side's forwards recently has only left fans wondering 'What if?'

If Mikel Arteta's side can replicate their 2024 form and find their shooting boots, they will certainly at least be within touching distance of a Premier League title.

Myles Lewis-Skelly has arrived

The teenager has been making a name for himself this season, but many would expect a nervous performance in a fixture that holds such history. It was quite the opposite for the youngster as he stifled Dejan Kulusevski and later Brenan Johnson.

Lewis-Skelly showed the technical quality of a cultured central midfielder as he slipped Sterling through one-on-one with a perfectly weighted pass in the opening period. Going the other way, Lewis-Skelly was just as good, highlighted by his crunching challenge on Pape Matar Sarr to stop the Spurs counterattack.

The 18 year old earned high praise from teammate Declan Rice who likened him to Moussa Dembele in his post match interview with TNT Sports.

Jury's out on Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling started his third Premier League match of the season but his performance left a lot to be desired. The Englishman could not find his way around Spurs' makeshift backline, finding it especially difficult against a lively Djed Spence.

Albeit a loan signing, Sterling has failed to impress throughout his Arsenal spell. Arteta has provided him with limited minutes and the now 30-year-old finds himself in starting contention going forward due to the injuries of Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, and Gabriel Jesus.

Will a consistent run of games see Sterling rediscover the form that he displayed in his first spell under Mikel Arteta? With Arsenal chasing a league, Sterling has a golden opportunity to prove his worth to the Emirates crowd.

A forward is a MUST in January

As Declan Rice said post-match, " I think we're unlucky not to score 10 tonight! That's the feeling."

This has been the feeling of Arsenal fans for large portions of the season as their forward line has faultered in front of goal. Missed opportunities from Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling, and Martin Ødegaard saw Tottenham keep in the game for far too long.

Arsenal played themselves into great positions against Spurs but lacked the box presence to take advantage of their chances.

With the current injury crisis, Arsenal are left with only four fit first team attackers going into the final months of the campaign. For context, Liverpool have six.

Tottenham will be hoping that the Carabao Cup will be their silver lining in what has so far been a season tainted by underwhelming performances, far below the expectations of fans.

The hosts have had an eventful January so far: announcing the signing of Antonin Kinsky to rectify their sparse goalkeeping options; welcoming summer signing Yang Min-hyeok to the first team and most significantly, announcing the one-year extension of captain Son Heung-Min’s contract.

Ange Postecoglou’s side will be hopeful that these changes will spark the rejuvenation of their disappointing campaign. But they face a red-hot Liverpool side, who have displayed outstanding form under Arne Slot, making them favourites for all three competitions they are currently taking part in.

When Slot took over in the Summer, many believed that Liverpool would see a decline in standard after nine successful years under Jurgen Klopp. But the Dutchman has emphatically disproved his doubters, winning 23 out of his 28 games in charge.

The prospect of making it to the Carabao Cup final will be a challenge that the Liverpool squad will relish, having triumphed in 2022 and 2024. Victory against Spurs will put them in a great position to extend their record amount of League Cup titles to 11.

Will lack of squad depth haunt Tottenham again?

When the teams met three days before Christmas, Liverpool were relentless with their high press, which was far too much for the make shift, inexperienced Tottenham defence to cope with. Unfortunately for the Lilywhites, the number of defensive absentees has only increased since then, with the club announcing that Destiny Udogie is expected to be out for six to ten weeks.

This adds to the injury list that also includes first choice centre-backs Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies.

Tottenham were also struck with a plague of viruses last week, that heavily affected their squad during Saturday's match against Newcastle, which included their only fit centre back Radu Dragusin, who had to be removed at half time.

Also affected, was 18 year-old Archie Gray, who has been filling in in central defence, due to Tottenham's severe lack of options. “Radu and Archie literally got off sickbeds to play today, and Radu was shattered at half-time,” said the Tottenham manager.

Can Tottenham's dreadful home form finally come to an end?

Tottenham have not won at home in their last six attempts, losing four - a run which dates back to the 3rd November. This has seen pressure increase on Postecoglou who will be desperate for that run to end on Wednesday, in what could be a huge step forward in the club's bid to end their 17 year trophy drought.

However, doing this against the 10 time League Cup champions will be an enormous task, especially considering Tottenham's poor record against Liverpool, having beating them just twice in their last 26 attempts.

Will speculation around Liverpool players benefit Tottenham?

Despite the positivity surrounding the club at the moment, the past week has been slightly overshadowed by the rumours surroundings the futures of: Virgil Van Dijk, Mohammed Salah and Trent Alexander Arnold. The latter of whom was was substituted following his poor individual display against Manchester United, in the surprising 2-2 draw.

All three players have gained great experience in winning trophies and have all been monumental to the club's success since the 2017/18 campaign. Now, each of them are in the final year of their respective contracts and as we edge closer to that day, more and more media speculation surrounding the topic has become apparent.

In recent history, speculation over the future of players has proved to impact a team's form. Although it seems very unlikely that this will be the case for Liverpool, perhaps the lacklustre and chaotic performance on Sunday was a crack beginning to show.

Manor Solomon joined Tottenham Hotspur as a free agent in July 2023, becoming one of the first signings after Ange Postecoglou joined the club.

However, his first season in N17 was plagued by injury and subsequently ended in September, with the Israeli winger playing a mere 198 minutes across two starts and three substitute appearances.

Solomon joined fellow Premier League side Fulham at the start of the 2022/23 season but was sidelined after knee surgery from August until January, where he slowly built his minutes back up. A run of four goals in four games in February saw many pay attention to the former Shakhtar Donetsk man and ultimately earned him his move to North London.

It's understandable why he was identified and signed at the beginning of the Postecogolou era. The winger poses a great threat when squaring up one-on-one with an opponent, whilst he is also extremely progressive and forward-thinking.

Timo Werner, who is on loan from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, has been underwhelming in his twelve months at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Solomon could be recalled from loan, with Spurs sending the German back to his home country, or keeping both in the side for further squad depth.

In August, the first month of his first season in N17, he had a slow start, remaining as an unused substitute for two out of three matches, before picking up just two minutes of action in a 2-0 home win against Manchester United.

Despite this, three average performances from Richarlison saw the 25-year-old handed a start away at newly-promoted Burnley and he took the opportunity. Solomon provided two assists, linking up incredibly well with Heung-Min Son as Tottenham stormed to a 5-2 win at Turf Moor.

There is no denying that the 25-year-old performed in his short spell at Tottenham before the injury, even in a Carabao Cup game at Fulham, he looked lively whilst the rest of the team was well below-par and drew 1-1 before being knocked out on penalties in the second round.

Solving squad issues

A horrific injury crisis has taken over the Tottenham squad in the last few months, so being able to call upon another senior member of the squad would be thoroughly welcomed by Ange Postecoglou.

Although the major issues have not been in the forward areas of the pitch, another senior outfield player would make a huge difference and would decrease the workload on the likes of Heung-Min Son and Dominic Solanke, who have both looked jaded in recent weeks.

Whilst it may not help in Europe due to tight registration rules and Spurs having under the bare minimum of club-trained homegrown players, it would have certainly helped over the busy festive period and in the domestic cup competitions.

Starring on loan

After a mediocre pre-season campaign with The Lilywhites, in which he received minutes from the bench against Queens Park Rangers after he started the opening game against Heart of Midlothian, he joined Leeds United on a season-long loan.

In the friendly against their Scottish opposition, considering it was the attacker's first start for a measly ten months, he was impressive. He moved the ball well, was direct, agile and created many chances. He gave Tottenham fans a glimpse of his quality which they had missed for the majority of the previous season, but he didn't impress too brightly on the whole.

Since joining the second-tier giants, he has hit the ground running. Whilst the stats don't match the opinion, anyone who has spent time watching Leeds this campaign will understand why it may come as no surprise that he could be a decent option for Spurs in the second half of the season.

Per game, the Israeli is averaging 4 progressive passes per game and 5 progressive carries per game. which is higher than Brennan Johnson's 2 and 3 respectively. The Tottenham loanee has already hit the back of the net three occasions, with the same number of assists.

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Ange Postecoglou has been dealt a further blow to his side's horrific injury crisis, with several players suffering from a bout of illness ahead of the visit of Newcastle United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Speaking to the press on Friday morning, the Australian confirmed that there was ''an illness bug running through the squad as well, so a few missing training," when asked if the six-day break between the draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers and the visit of The Magpies had helped anyone in their recovery from injury - the answer to that, also no.

Last weekend, the misery continued to pile on Spurs as they lost Destiny Udogie to a hamstring injury, which is expected to keep the Italian out for around six weeks, whilst midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, just one game before the threshold was increased to ten, meaning he will serve a suspension.

Those two new unavailabilities are coupled with the fact that no players are ready to return yet either, so The Lilywhites will remain without the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies all still out, and the trio of defenders will now not be in action until the end of the month.

Postecoglou: "Yeah, at this stage, Richy and Mikey will be the next two off the rank, hopefully next week at some point and then Ben, Micky van de Van and Romero all kind of around the same time, so that back end of January, they're all sort of slated to return."

The injury list now stands at a staggering eight, and although Spurs' Head Coach was 'not yet sure' whether the illness would cause more absences, there is heavy speculation that Fraser Forster, Archie Gray, Radu Dragusin and James Maddison will be missing.

That would pave the way for Brandon Austin, who has been at the club since the age of eight, to make his senior Tottenham debut four days before his 26th birthday. It could also see Alfie Dorrington, who made his debut from the bench against Southampton last month, start his first game.

Tough test awaits

The former Celtic Manager was quizzed on Saturday's opponents, who have had very mixed fortunes compared to Spurs' of late.

"Yeah, I think, yeah, the context of all that, obviously, and I think everyone knows what the context is, but it is what it is and you know, Newcastle will be a good test.

“Good side, we always have good games against them and I think they're always close, you know, both teams in all the games we've had against them had their moments and uh yeah, yeah, they are in good form at the moment, they’re in a good period and also a good chance for us, but at the same time we obviously haven't had the results we want, but we’re still capable, we’ve got quality and we’ve done enough in games to win them so we’re going to go out there with the same mindset."

Eddie Howe's side are on a four-match winning run, which has seen them keep a clean sheet in each victory, scoring 13 in the process. Alexander Isak is also in a rich vein of form currently, having scored eleven goals in the last eleven league fixtures - the Swede is currently in the midst of a six-game scoring streak.

There's no denying he loves a game against Spurs either, having scored five in four appearances against The Lilywhites.

Looking back on 2024

Whilst the focus will be on the opening game of the new year, Postecoglou was also asked for his thoughts on the past 12 months, and journalists wanted to know whether or not he was pleased to see the back of the 'bad stuff.'

"No, because then you dismiss all the good stuff. You know 2024, which I know right now people don’t recognise as anything but we finished fifth last year. We finished eighth the year before and people keep forgetting that. I didn’t pick up a club that finished third or fifth.

“Even though the back end of last year was a struggle for us, I thought it was still a real positive season on the back of what we had to do in terms of player turnover because we lost some significant players. I enjoyed 2024, it was a big challenge for us and yes it didn’t finish well, but that’s the case for every year; all of us have challenges within it. I guess going into 2025 now it is about making this year better than the last, but that should be the aim every year."

Although fans may not be pleased with how the year ended, Postecoglou has overseen a vast improvement and his side are also still fighting across all four competitions heading into 2025.

Tuchel in the stands

England Manager Thomas Tuchel will conduct his first scouting mission in N17 on Saturday. The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich tactician, who is known to have taken a likeness to Spurs, might want to keep a close eye on Dominic Solanke.

Since joining from Bournemouth for £65m in the summer, he has scored ten in 25 appearances across all competitions, however, the underwhelming stats are no reflection of his performances on the whole, whilst it's also worth remembering Postecoglou's side have been nowhere near their best.

His Head Coach raved about him in his pre-match press conference.

"Dom has been outstanding for us. He has scored goals but it is just his all-round game and his capacity to help the team in all aspects of our football. Defensively, link-up play, still being a presence in the box. Really intelligent with his movement and really carrying that position on his back with no help, no rest.

“So I think it says an enormous amount about his character and the person he is. I can’t speak highly enough of him. The load he has had to carry for us over the last two months without a lot of help and from us being able to allow him to recover and still every week he puts in a massive performance. I have no doubt, I’m sure Thomas has been following him, that he will be impressed."

When asked if the attendance of The Three Lions' Manager would make a difference to get something extra out of his English players, Postecoglou provided a humourous response.

"Maybe Thomas just wants to see a good game, he has said good things about us. So hopefully we put on a show. I don’t think that really factors into players' motivations. I’m pretty sure even if Thomas wasn’t there and the players played well he would find out about it. Like I said, hopefully he gets a nice seat and enjoys the spectacle."

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.