FootballFanCast.com

Those of a Tottenham Hotspur persuasion will hope the worst of the club's issues this season are behind them.

It's been a tough ride, with Spurs nursing grievances relating to seemingly endless injury issues. Well, for Ange Postecoglou and his brood, there may be actual light at the end of the tunnel ahead of the final three months of the campaign.

Tottenham might be on the wrong end of a cliff in the Premier League as they look to climb toward the European places, but they are into the last 16 of the Europa League, facing AZ Alkmaar in a two-legged tie over the next few weeks.

Rotation, an incongruous term only a few weeks ago down N17, is possible. And needed. Those such as Pedro Porro are exhausted, with performance levels sliding.

Pedro Porro's struggles in 24/25

Porro has been an important part of Postecoglou's Tottenham project over the past couple of years, but he's indeed struggling this season, both positionally and in staying strong against pacey wingers.

But the Spaniard's issues can't solely be blamed on being overworked. Porro, 25, records energetic, high-output numbers. He's athletic and tenacious, but has limitations defensively, exposing Tottenham time and time again.

Indeed, Ange watched in frustration as his side's three-match winning streak in the Premier League was ended in midweek against Manchester City, with Porro enduring a torrid time against the fleet-footed Jeremy Doku.

With the resurgent Djed Spence playing out of his skin this term, Porro may well be fighting for his long-term starting place at Tottenham - but he's not the only one.

Others have fared worse in 2024/25, with one particular first-team regular surely playing out his final few months of football under Postecoglou's wing.

Levy must cash in on Spurs "passenger"

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy needs to do a lot of self-reflecting this summer as he and Postecoglou devise a plan for success.

Fresh faces are sure to be needed, but Spurs should also push certain strugglers towards the exit door - with one midfielder flattering to deceive once again this term.

Frankly, Yves Bissouma hasn't been at the races for a while, lacking discipline and composure. While technically gifted and a robust midfielder with a dynamic approach, Tottenham have been let down one too many times.

It's rather telling that the Mali international has only started one Premier League match in 2025 - and in that very game, against Arsenal, he was hooked at the interval.

As per Sofascore, the 28-year-old has only won 51% of his contested duels in the top flight this season, having also averaged 2.1 tackles per game and made four errors. To highlight his regression in defensive phases, he won 2.9 tackles per fixture in 2023/24, winning 59% of his duels.

Correspondent Alasdair Gold even branded him a "passenger" after Spurs were thrashed by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, with Bissouma not stepping up and adding the punch to the midfield that his injury-depleted team needed.

All the pointers suggest Bissouma has been made expendable by Postecoglou, and if a lasting resurgence is to become a reality in north London, he will need to be sold and replaced.

Tottenham Hotspur have been through it this season, but there's still hope that Ange Postecoglou will fashion something wonderful out of this campaign.

A mini-resurgence had seen Spurs win three on the trot in the Premier League before Manchester City edged the north Londoners on their home patch - thus, Aston Villa remain nine points ahead in 10th.

Postecoglou will know that chances of success through the top flight are negligible, but as AZ Alkmaar await in the last 16 of the Europa League, fans can yet hold onto hope that the manager's bold trophy-winning claims could be realised.

And if such hopes don't come to fruition, there have still been some bright sparks who could play a big part in the years ahead.

Spurs' bright sparks in 2024/25

This week, Archie Gray was named the Young Player of the Year at the London Football Awards. The 18-year-old has been a revelation this season, instrumental in combatting the injury crisis and playing in unnatural central and wide-defensive roles despite a touted career in the middle of the park.

Having beaten Brentford to snap him up from Leeds United last summer in a deal worth somewhere between £30m and £40m, there's little question Postecoglou has a potential superstar on his hands.

Then, of course, there's Mikey Moore, who has already started to earn regular opportunities in the senior Tottenham setup at 17. He's off the mark as well, scoring against Elfsborg in the Europa League, having also featured in seven Premier League games, assisting against Everton.

The pick of the bunch, though, might be Djed Spence, who was written off as a flop last season as he completed loans with Leeds United and then Genoa in Italy, but he's wedged his way into Ange's plans this year, with reporter Rob Guest remarking he "really has excelled".

With Pedro Porro struggling and Destiny Udogie's fitness issues causing concerns, Spence's rise has been uplifting, with Tottenham learning from their past mistakes in letting the 'original' Spence leave for a relatively small fee.

Spurs must regret selling the 'original' Spence

Kyle Walker-Peters made a bright start to life at Tottenham after emerging from the youth setup, playing 24 times for the first team, scoring one goal and adding five more assists.

However, the 27-year-old's opportunities were limited and he was sold to Southampton in a deal worth just £12m in 2020, with Jose Mourinho signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in return.

In total, the Tottenham academy product has played 141 times in the Premier League, scoring twice and supplying 11 assists for his teammates.

He's not the most offensively clinical of wide defenders, but the £20k-per-week talent has proven himself to have such qualities in his locker - see his "outstanding" finish against Manchester City below - and you feel that Postecoglou's football may have coaxed such qualities to the fore had he still been operating in the capital.

Though Southampton are all but condemned to relegation this season, Walker-Peters has still been an able and willing member, bringing quality and impetus to Ivan Juric's flagging team.

As per Sofascore, the 5 foot 8 ace has won 50% of his ground duels - a decent return given the overload of defensive problems Southampton bear - and has at least attempted to make things happen, averaging one dribble per game while also completing 91% of his passes.

With Porro seemingly playing on borrowed time, you could say injury-hit Spurs might have made good use of such an extra option at right-back. Indeed, Walker-Peters could have played an important and abiding role in Tottenham's first team over the years.

Southampton's season has been a pitiful thing, but KWP has still managed to showcase his qualities. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 10% of Premier League full-backs this term for pass completion, the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90.

A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.

Not only does this perfectly illustrate his technical and athletic skill, but it's also a skill set bearing a tactical likeness to Spence, which only adds to the argument that he would be fit for purpose in Ange's squad.

Moreover, the Saints star, like Spence, is positionally dynamic.

He really could have been the original iteration of Spence, providing Tottenham with cover over the years and maybe even finding N17 to be the hothouse he needed to realise his potential.

Instead, he has ebbed and flowed in an unsteady Southampton system, though still managing to prove his skill.

Last month, Football Insider revealed that Southampton were bracing themselves for winter bids with Walker-Peters nearing the end of the road at the St. Mary's.

West Ham United and Leicester City were among the clubs intrigued, and so were Tottenham.

Walker-Peters is out of contract at the end of the season, and given Southampton's imperilled position, is not likely to entertain feeble notions of a renewal.

Indeed, he has enough quality to play for a team like Tottenham (again), and it's something Postecoglou and co must chew on over the coming months.

With Porro under fire for his performances of late, sapped and wearied from the seemingly endless issues lashing at him and his team, it might be that Spurs look to invest in a new full-back - after all, Spence is firing on all cylinders but looks so comfortable on the left.

And if they move to sign this talent after so many years away, you have to wonder whether Daniel Levy might just regret the whole ordeal happened in the first place, with Porro lacking support.

Turning their attention towards the summer transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur are now racing to sign an in-demand midfielder who Pape Matar Sarr already has experience playing alongside.

Tottenham transfer news

To say that Spurs need to get things right this summer would be an understatement. They've so far stuck by Ange Postecoglou and chosen to blame a frustrating list of injury concerns over the Australian's tactical stubbornness in recent weeks. Now, they must back their manager in the summer transfer window with some much-needed reinforcements.

On that front, the Lilywhites have already been linked to a number of potential options. From Como star Nico Paz all the way to Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo, Spurs are seemingly preparing for a busy window.

Whether they can attract such talent is another question, of course. Languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, it's increasingly likely that Spurs will miss out on European football altogether this season unless they win the Europa League to secure a shock Champions League place.

According to The Boot Room, Tottenham are now racing to sign Lamine Camara from AS Monaco after sending their scouts to watch the impressive 21-year-old midfielder.

They're not alone in their interest, however, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa and other top European clubs forming quite the queue for Camara's signature. In a tough battle, Champions League football would, of course, go a long way but Spurs may also have another way to convince the Monaco star this summer.

Those in North London could use the fact that Pape Matar Sarr already knows Camara well from their time together as part of the Senegal midfield and attempt to reunite the pair at club level.

"Excellent" Camara could partner Sarr at Tottenham

Following another season to forget for Yves Bissouma, both on and off the pitch, Camara could emerge to end his time in Postecoglou's strongest side and take Senegal's midfield partnership to club level.

Dubbed a "phenomenal ground dueller" by analyst Ben Mattinson, the Monaco man would add the discipline that Bissouma otherwise lacks.

From a struggling midfield trio in the current campaign, Spurs' dream scenario could yet see Sarr, Archie Gray and Camara form quite the partnership at the heart of Postecoglou's side. With a busy summer ahead, the 21-year-old's arrival would be an impressive way for the Lilywhites to commence their transfer window.

In a move that would get one over on North London rivals Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly battling to sign one particular La Liga winger for Ange Postecoglou this summer.

Tottenham transfer news

The Lilywhites desperately need to enjoy a productive summer transfer window. Their season has been controlled by injuries and the glaringly true narrative that their squad simply lacks the necessary depth in quality needed to compete for Champions League qualification.

All across his side, Postecoglou has been forced to form makeshift partnerships at times, resulting in a season spent in the bottom half of the Premier League. It's something that the Australian simply must not see a repeat of in the next campaign if Spurs are to set their sights on undergoing significant improvement.

Among Tottenham's summer priorities should be signing an eventual replacement for Heung-min Son, who has fallen away from his best form this season to hand those in North London the awkward task of replacing a modern legend.

With that in mind, they've reportedly turned their attention towards La Liga. According to reports in Spain, Tottenham are now battling to sign Ferran Torres from Barcelona, who value their out-of-favour winger at just €40m (£33m) this summer.

At such a price, however, Spurs aren't the only side reportedly interested with arch-rivals Arsenal also in the race to welcome the former Manchester City star back to the Premier League alongside interest from Serie A giants Napoli and AC Milan.

Given how Torres has struggled for starts amid competition from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha at Barcelona though, Spurs should aim to use game time as their biggest selling point this summer.

"Brilliant" Torres could replace Son

Whilst Torres' progress has been stopped in its tracks by the rise of Yamal and fresh form of Raphinha at Barcelona, one swift move back to English football could ignite his best form once again. At just 24 years old, there's still plenty more to come from the Spaniard, who should be among those topping Spurs' list of candidates to replace Son sooner rather than later.

Seven goal involvements in seven starts is far from a bad return from Torres, who's outperformed his expected rate despite being forced to watch on from the bench more often than not in La Liga.

His ability to play all across the frontline mirrors that of Son's and earned the praise of Pep Guardiola during his time at Manchester City. The Spaniard told reporters when asked about deploying Torres in a false nine role: "Yeah, he can be [a No 9]. We will use him, we used him and he was brilliant.

"His rhythm, especially defensively he has improved a lot. The game at Palace, he makes a turn [in his season] - so good. The movement he makes as a striker, for the [third] goal, it hits the bar and where it goes, he knew it."

It's been hard for Tottenham Hotspur fans to be positive about anything this season.

Ange Postecoglou's side have been diabolically poor in the Premier League, are out of the FA Cup and League Cup, and are now putting all their eggs in the Europa League basket.

However, while things are undoubtedly bleak at the moment, there are significant reasons to be quite optimistic about the future, as while many of their senior players have been woefully disappointing this season, their youngsters have not.

The likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have been excellent, while Mikey Moore looks incredibly promising, and Lucas Williams-Barnet has been tearing things up in the academy.

Moreover, there is another exciting prospect signed by Daniel Levy and Co, who has seriously impressed out on loan this season and seen his valuation soar as a result.

Spurs' loan stars

Before getting to the player in question, it's worth looking at a couple of Spurs' other youngsters enjoying stellar campaigns out on loan, starting with Jamie Donley.

The "perfect" prospect, as dubbed by Alasdair Gold, has spent the season with League One side Leyton Orient, and while he endured somewhat of a slow start to life in East London, he has since become a key player for the side.

For example, in 36 appearances for the O's, totalling 2462 minutes, the Antrim-born star has scored six goals and provided six assists, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every three games, or every 205.16 minutes, which for an attacking midfielder, is pretty special.

Moreover, he might argue that he should have another goal to his name after his long-range effort against Manchester City in the FA Cup forced Stefan Ortega to score an own goal.

Moving up to the Championship now, 19-year-old Ashley Phillips has become an integral part of Stoke City's defence since joining the club on a season-long loan in the summer.

The Salford-born prospect has featured in 72% of the Potters' Championship starting lineups and has made 27 appearances in all competitions, in which he's scored a goal.

However, while it's encouraging to see a youngster get so many minutes at a big club, the Lilywhites have another defender out on loan this season whose valuation has soared before even playing for the club.

The Spurs' loanee whose value has exploded

While Gray, Bergvall and Moore have all been grabbing the headlines for Spurs this season, and rightly so, there may well be another youngster whose name is added to that trio of exciting prospects next season: Luka Vušković.

Tottenham agreed to pay £12m for the talented defender in September 2023. Yet, he isn't allowed to officially join the club until this summer due to regulations introduced after Brexit concerning the registration of foreign players under 18.

It was a considerable amount of money to pay for a player so young, but Levy and Co will be delighted by the fact that before he's even kicked a ball for Postecoglou, his valuation has increased significantly, with the CIES Football Observatory pricing him at up to €23m, which is about £19m, or £7m more than he cost the North Londoners.

The reason the youngster's price tag has already increased by around 58% in the season and a half since he put pen to paper is that he's been seriously impressive while on loan with Belgian outfit KVC Westerloo this year.

For example, despite playing at centre-back, the "freak" talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has been able to score seven goals and provide one assist in 25 appearances, meaning he's averaging a goal involvement every 3.12 games - and outscoring Richarlison.

On top of that, even though he's still just 18 years old, the Croatian gem already has the physical stature to play in the Premier League, coming in at 6 foot 4 inches tall.

Ultimately, Spurs might not be having the best season this year, but the future of their squad looks incredibly bright, and if Vušković turns out to be even half the player he looks like he could be, then Postecoglou is going to have one sensational defender on his hands.

When it comes to Tottenham Hotspur's modern-day greats, there are quite a few players to choose from.

Perhaps the first name that will come to mind for most people is Harry Kane, as while he wasn't able to win anything in North London, he was a goalscoring force of nature and left the side as their all-time top scorer and a Premier League legend.

The Englishman's right-hand man, Son Heung-min, is another player that has to be mentioned in this conversation, as while time is starting to catch up with him this season, his consistency over the last decade has been second to none.

However, when it comes to the Lilywhites' most talented player of the 21st century, we find it hard to look past the world-class Gareth Bale, as while he didn't have the longevity of the other two, he was simply sensational to watch.

Interestingly, there was a point after he left that the club looked like they had found his heir, but unfortunately, that was not the case, and that player is now struggling to make an impact in Turkish football.

Bale's Spurs career

In May 2007, Tottenham completed the £10m signing of an incredibly exciting and sought-after 17-year-old full-back from Southampton called Bale.

Even though the promising prospect was tipped for greatness early in his sensational career, it took quite some time for him to look at home in North London, as a ligament injury kept him out of action for the second half of his first season.

Then, when he was back to full fitness, he wasn't on the winning side until his 25th appearance for the club.

Infamously, the talk around the youngster being a bad-luck charm for the club was so common that Sir Alex Ferguson supposedly told Harry Redknapp to take him out of the team, which was advice that the Englishman thankfully ignored.

It was in the 09/10 season that Redknapp moved the former Saints gem further up the pitch to left-midfield and left-wing positions, which proved to be a game-changing decision.

This move led to the Cardiff-born dynamo becoming one of the best attackers in Europe, and while he managed to rack up a haul of 55 goals and 50 assists in 203 appearances before securing his £85m move to Real Madrid, it was in the 12/13 campaign that he became one of the best players on the planet.

For example, in 44 appearances, totalling 3891 minutes, the Spurs phenomenon scored 26 goals and provided ten assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.22 games, or every 108.08 minutes - talk about world-class.

So, when one of the club's up-and-coming youngsters was compared to Bale a couple of years later, there was an understandable excitement, although the player in question could never get anywhere close to the Welshman's incredible heights.

The Spurs star who was the next Gareth Bale

When you have players as unbelievably talented as Bale, it's not too uncommon for promising youngsters coming through after them to be constantly compared to and dubbed the 'next' version of said superstars, and that was what happened with Andros Townsend.

The former Spurs ace came up through the club's academy system and, following several loans between 2009 and 2013, was given a chance to break into and assert himself in the first team, which for a little while was just what he did.

For example, in October 2013, following a promising start to his first proper campaign in the first team, then-England manager Roy Hodgson handed the young winger his debut for the national team, during which he grabbed the headlines with a brilliant long-range strike.

With the wind firmly at his back, the "fearless" attacker, as dubbed by former manager André Villas-Boas, scored another goal in a game against Aston Villa just a week later, after which Jan Vertonghen boldly proclaimed that the then-22-year-old could "be our new Gareth Bale."

While undoubtedly meant to encourage the youngster, all this did was create an impossible expectation to live up to, and over the following years, the Leytonstone-born ace would start to become less and less important to the team until he was finally sold to Newcastle United for around £12m in January 2016, with a total of just 24 goal involvements for the club in 93 appearances.

Over the next eight years, the 33-year-old made 13 appearances for the Toon, 185 for Crystal Palace, 27 for Everton and then 32 for Luton Town between October 2023 and August 2024.

It was last summer that the former England international made the surprise move to Turkish outfit Antalyaspor.

Unfortunately, instead of taking the comparatively weaker Süper Lig by storm, the former Lilywhites ace has seriously struggled since leaving English football.

In all, he's scored just twice and provided two goals in 22 appearances for his new club, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 5.5 games and isn't great for someone who was in the Premier League just last season.

Ultimately, with all that said, while Townsend was never going to be able to live up to the tag given to him by Vertonghen all those years ago, he did have a great career in arguably the most challenging league in the world, and who knows, maybe next year, with a campaign under his belt, he'll become a star for Antalyaspor.

Looking to add to the likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, Tottenham Hotspur have now reportedly made contact in pursuit of signing another two rising stars for Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham transfer news

Spurs' struggles have been clear for all to see all season. Whilst they've suffered injury after injury to leave Postecoglou with no choice but to field makeshift backlines and blunt attacking trios, there's an argument to be made that the Australian hasn't helped himself at times.

Remaining stubborn over his tactics, the Lilywhites have been exposed over and over again, including in a recent 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City.

Those in North London shouldn't be too quick to put all of the blame on their manager, however, given how little squad depth he has been handed over the last year or so. It's a problem that simply must be solved when the summer transfer window swings open and one which could once again be helped by the arrival of future stars.

According to The Boot Room, Tottenham have now made contact in the race to sign both Christos Mouzakitis and Charlampos Kostoulas in a double swoop from Olympiacos this summer.

Facing competition from North London rivals Arsenal as well as Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, Spurs should be desperate to get one over on their Premier League counterparts and land two impressive talents in the process.

Starting with Mouzakitis, the Lilywhites would be getting an 18-year-old midfielder who's already an established regular starter for what is a massive club in Greece. He's made 16 Super League 1 appearances for Olympiacos this season, scoring once and assisting once for the senior team.

Meanwhile, by adding Kostoulas, Spurs would be signing a striker who already knows exactly where the back of the net is. At just 17 years old, the Olympiacos star has scored 11 goals in all competitions - including six league goals for the first-team.

"Robust" Kostoulas has key versatility

Having already taken Greek football by storm, 17-year-old Kostoulas could find himself attempting to steal similar headlines in the Premier League sooner rather than later. Given that Spurs has been the land of opportunity amid their squad depth problems in the last year or so too, a move to North London would be no bad thing for the young forward.

Crucially, if those opportunities to impress were to arrive at Spurs, Kostoulas would also offer Postecoglou some key versatility in return. As highlighted by analyst Ben Mattinson when praising the teenager's "robust" ball-carrying ability, Kostoulas has developed into an attacking midfielder in recent months, but is still capable of moving into the lone striker role.

With plenty of competition for both his and Mouzakitis' signature in the coming months, the impressive young striker looks set to have quite the decision to make this summer.

As they continue to struggle on the pitch, Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly set their sights on signing some much-needed summer reinforcements, which could yet include a former Real Madrid gem.

Tottenham transfer news

Ange Postecoglou has seen his side's squad depth - or lack thereof - completely exposed in the current campaign with an injury crisis rampaging throughout his side. From Dominic Solanke to Brennan Johnson and Richarlison, the Australian has seen a once-sharp frontline reduced to bluntness, whilst being left with little choice but to form a makeshift defence too.

Even with Johnson and James Maddison back fit and firing as well as a natural centre-back to choose from in Kevin Danso, however, Postecoglou still didn't have enough to avoid fielding young Archie Gray out-of-position in central defence against Erling Haaland. And Spurs soon paid the price as Manchester City held on to secure a 1-0 victory.

It is at least a situation which should now become better before it gets worse for the Lilywhites, before they turn to the summer transfer window with their sights set on a rising star.

According to The Boot Room, Tottenham are now plotting a summer move to sign Nico Paz from Serie A side Como. The former Real Madrid midfielder has thrived ever since arriving in the Serie A and has reportedly caught the eye of Spurs' scouts, who absolutely love the Argentine.

Still just 20 years old, the attacking midfielder looks destined to reach the very top once again despite leaving Real Madrid last summer. Whether that rise includes a stop in the Premier League and in North London remains to be seen, however.

Of course, one thing that Spurs deserve credit for is how well they use young talent - handing both Gray and Lucas Bergvall ample opportunity to impress this season.

"Wonderful" Paz is one to watch

Although Como are currently enjoying a match made in heaven between manager Cesc Fabregas and rising star Paz, the young midfielder could have a crucial decision to make sooner rather than later amid interest from the likes of Spurs. Dubbed a "wonderful player to watch" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 20-year-old wouldn't be starved of game time in North London.

In Bergvall, Gray and Paz, Spurs would have the future of their midfield and one full of attacking spark. The latter has particularly impressed going forward this season, scoring six goals and assisting another five in all competitions.

There have been plenty of problems at Tottenham Hotspur this season, but scoring goals hasn't really been one of them.

Ange Postecoglou's side have found the back of the net on 53 occasions in the Premier League, joint with Manchester City and second only to runaway leaders Liverpool.

However, while that sounds brilliant, and to some extent it is, the North Londoners have had a habit of scoring a lot in some games and then, as many of their fans will attest, losing others by a single goal.

So, even though it's one of their strengths, Spurs would be further improved by more goalscorers, and it just so happens the club sold one in the summer for a pittance, who's now worth significantly more.

How Tottenham's attack has fared in 2024/25

Before getting to the player in question, it's worth first looking at Spurs' top scorers across all competitions, starting with Brennan Johnson.

The Welsh international endured a rough start to the campaign and has only just returned from injury, yet he's still the club's top scorer this season, with an impressive 14 strikes to his name in 35 games, and he's provided three assists for good measure.

Not far behind is summer and record signing Dominic Solanke, who's certainly not buckled under his £65m price tag this year, as, following a middling start of his own, has raced to 11 goals in 29 appearances, and he's even chipped in with six assists to boot.

There are three players hot on the coattails of the Englishman, as Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min, and James Maddison have all found the back of the net ten times this season, doing so in 42, 36 and 34 games, respectively.

It's quite a drop-down to Pape Matar Sarr after that, who has five goals to his name in 39 games, and then rounding out the list it's Richarlison, who has racked up a tally of just three goals in 14 appearances this season.

In short, while Tottenham haven't had a brilliant campaign by any stretch of the imagination, the fans have seen their side score plenty of goals. With that said, an academy player sold in the summer has outscored everyone on this list and has seen his valuation soar because of it.

The ex-Spurs ace worth millions more today

When it comes to goalscoring academy stars, Tottenham have quite a track record with Peter Crouch and Harry Kane, but in this case, the striker in question is plying his trade away from the Premier League.

After spending last season on loan in the Netherlands with Excelsior, where he racked up a reasonable enough tally of 17 goals and five assists in 32 games, Troy Parrott finally left the Lilywhites after joining the club as a 15-year-old back in the summer of 2017.

However, instead of moving to another club in England, the Irishman opted to remain in the Eredivisie and joined Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar for a fee of around €8m, which converts to about £7m.

While that might have seemed like a decent enough fee for an academy graduate at the time, we reckon Daniel Levy and Co will wish they had asked for more now.

For example, since moving to De Kaasboeren, the "phenomenal" marksman, as dubbed by former Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe, has racked up a sensational tally of 17 goals and three assists in 36 appearances, totalling 2642 minutes.

That means the Dublin-born poacher is outscoring everyone in the Tottenham squad and averaging a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 132.1 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, this has seen the 23-year-old's valuation soar, with the CIES Football Observatory now pricing him at around €31m, which converts to about £25.5m, or a staggering 193% increase on the fee AZ paid in the summer.

Ultimately, selling Parrott was probably the right thing to do for his own career, but with how well he's played this season, we can't help imagining he'd have been a brilliant bench option for Postecoglou this year.

They might not get the same attention as some of their rivals for it, but Tottenham Hotspur have an incredible academy.

In the here and now, Hotspur Way has produced some incredibly exciting talents who will surely be future stars like Mikey Moore and Luca Williams-Barnett.

Moreover, some of the best players in Premier League history have come through the North Londoners' youth set-up, such as Harry Kane, Ledley King and even he who shan't be named.

However, as well as the international superstars, the Lilywhites have produced several underrated players currently plying their trade around Europe, including one centre-back who's one comparison to an incredibly valuable superstar.

Hotspur Way's underrated stars

One of Spurs' former academy gems, who some might not know played for the club's academy, is Noni Madueke.

The Barnet-born winger was a part of the club's youth set-up for quite some time, but despite efforts to keep him in the capital, he decided to take a leap of faith in the summer of 2018 and moved to Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven.

It didn't take long for the Englishman to establish himself in the Netherlands, and by the time he moved to Chelsea for £30m in January 2023, he had racked up a haul of 20 goals and 14 assists in just 80 first-team appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.35 games.

Since returning to England, the dynamic attacker has scored 17 goals and provided seven assists in 74 games for the Blues.

However, a hamstring injury he picked up a couple of weeks ago has put a halt to what was looking like a promising campaign.

Another academy gem who left N17 for the Netherlands is Irish striker Troy Parrott, who, after spending last season on loan with Dutch side Excelsior, decided to make his move to the country permanent, signing with AZ Alkmaar.

The former Lilywhites' gem has already found the back of the net on 17 occasions in just 36 appearances this season and has provided three assists to boot.

So when Ange Postecoglou's side lineup against him in the Europa League knockout rounds next week, they'll have to be on top form, even if he failed to score in their league phase encounter.

However, it's not just attacking talents who have gone on to have brilliant careers since leaving Spurs' academy, as an international centre-back is thriving north of the border and has been compared to a Premier League titan worth an increible amount of money.

The Spurs academy gem who's a £69m star in the making

It's been a brilliant campaign for Celtic this season, as they pushed Bayern Munich all the way in the Champions League play-offs and have a commanding lead over Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

One of the Hoops' most important players this year, and in the seasons prior, has been Cameron Carter-Vickers, who joined Tottenham as an 11-year-old in 2009.

The American international would go out on several loan moves over the years, including one to Celtic in 2021, before agreeing a permanent move to Parkhead a year later for around £6m.

In all, the 27-year-old titan has made 148 appearances for the Glaswegian giants, scoring seven goals, providing two assists, and winning three league titles, three league cups, and two Scottish Cups.

During his time north of the border, the 18-capped international has won plenty of plaudits for his sensational displays, with The Athletic's Alex Barker going as far as describing him as "the best centre-back outside of the top five leagues" last week.

On top of that, he's also been likened to Manchester City's Rúben Dias by FBref, which compares players in similar positions in the Champions League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Portuguese ace is the third most similar centre-back to the American.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, passing accuracy, key passes, carries, dribblers challenged, interceptions and more, all per 90.

On top of the prestige that should come with such a comparison, it could also potentially reflect Carter-Vivkers' future price tag should he leave Scotland.

For example, according to Football Transfers, the City ace is worth up to €83m, which converts to about £69m, and if the former Lilywhites ace is so statistically similar, why shouldn't his price tag also increase?

Ultimately, it was probably the right decision for his future at the time to sell Carter-Vickers, but we can't help imagining just how useful he would have been to Postecoglou this season.