So, just who are those kids traveling to the US with Tottenham?
By Ryan Wrenn
Tottenham travel across the pond this week ahead for a whirlwind tour, and Mauricio Pochettino made sure to bring both this and the next generation’s finest players.
Almost all of Tottenham’s starting XI will participate in matches against Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Manchester City, but their efforts will be bolstered by several members of the club’s Academy.
Some of these names will be familiar to fans, and indeed some have already made their mark on the first team.
Harry Winks fought back from a season-ending injury earlier this summer and now seems prepared to fight again for a regular starting spot on the side. Meanwhile, Josh Onomah and Cameron Carter-Vickers will likely start the season as bench regulars.
Less well known but not complete surprises are the inclusion of Kyle Walker-Peters, Jaden Brown, Anthony Georgiou and Will Miller.
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Walker-Peters, of course, is just coming off the Under 20 World Cup win along with Onomah. He is widely expected to begin competing for a shot at right-back this season. Kyle Walker’s departure might encourage him in that regard, that is unless the club tests the transfer market for competition for sole remaining first team right-back Kieran Trippier.
On the opposite flank, Danny Rose’s continued absence through injury appears to have compelled Mauricio Pochettino to test the prowess of some of the Academy’s options at left-back. Brown and Georgiou will both hope to come on for Ben Davies at least once during the tour.
Left winger Miller scored eight goals and set up five assists in 42 appearances for Tottenham’s under-21s last term. There’s honestly not a tremendous amount of buzz for the 21-year-old, and it’s hard to imagine him breaking through on this tour.
Finally, there’s all the rest.
Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman are both young goalkeepers. With both Hugo Lloris and Michel Vorm in the squad, it seems unlikely that either player gets meaningful minutes.
Jon Dinzeyi is a 17-year-old centre-back who made 19 appearances in a Spurs shirt last season in the U18 Premier League. There are older centre-backs in the under-21s that might have come instead, so it’s a bit of a mystery why the youngster is included here.
What is perhaps more surprising is that Tashan Oakley-Boothe is even available for selection in this brief summer tour. Whilst competing with the England Under-17s in May Oakley-Boothe was knocked unconscious for 15 minutes. The central midfielder was taken off the pitch and thankfully didn’t appear to suffer any permanent damage.
Next: Tottenham vs PSG as the US tour commences
Which is good, because hyphenated youngsters are all the rage at Tottenham these days. Oakley-Boothe might be one to watch this tour, assuming he can find a way on the pitch ahead of Harry Winks.