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Tottenham Hotspur’s version of the Academy Awards

By Gary Pearson

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 05: Lucas Moura of Spurs celebrates scoring with team mate Serge Aurier of Spurs during the FA Cup Fourth Round Replay match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 05, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 05: Lucas Moura of Spurs celebrates scoring with team mate Serge Aurier of Spurs during the FA Cup Fourth Round Replay match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 05, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Most Improved Academy Award – Serge Aurier

Serge Aurier is the undeniable winner of this category. The Ivorian struggled mightily to break into the first team under Mauricio Pochettino, so much so his future at Spurs seemed untenable. With one foot out the door, his guardian angel, in the not-so-angelic form of Jose Mourinho, swooped in to save Aurier’s Tottenham career.

While still inconsistent and occasionally susceptible on the defensive side of the ball, Aurier is finally contributing to the first team, sometimes even living up to the expectations supporters had when he was purchased from PSG in 2017.

I was a fervent Aurier naysayer, and while I still believe strongly that Spurs need a more reliable, dynamic, defensively strong right back, I’m the first to admit he’s come a long way since his embryonic stage at the club.

Best Breakthrough Season — Japhet Tanganga

Japhet Tanganga, as a youth player, who, just a month ago only had aspirations to début with the senior team, is now in contention to start almost every week. He made his dream début against Liverpool on Jan. 11 and performed admirably against one of the world’s most formidable, prolific attacks.

The 20-year-old will imminently receive a substantially increased salary and has every chance of enjoying a long, fruitful career at the top level. Overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, Tanganga cried tears of joy when Mourinho selected him against Liverpool. His raw emotions showed how much the dream début meant to him. I wonder if he’ll be able to control his emotions when hearing about being awarded with HQ’s Best Breakthrough Season honour.

But if they did…#Oscars2020 ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/OfG6KWEZoA

Special mentions go to Paulo Gazzaniga, Troy Parrott, Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso, all of whom are deserving nominees.

MVP — Son Heung-Min

Son Heung-Min is an invaluable member of the club. He consistently proves his importance to the side. Even through well documented recent struggles, Son’s character and ability to fight through adversity has him as the clear Most Valuable Player winner. Here’s a more in-depth look at Son’s campaign thus far. 

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