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U21 Depth, No Surprises in Tottenham Premier League Squad

By Aaron Coe

Tottenham Hotspur players celebrate after Harry Kane scored their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on October 4, 2020. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur players celebrate after Harry Kane scored their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on October 4, 2020. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Tottenham Hotspur (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) /

All teams had to finalize their squad lists for the 2020-21 Premier League campaign and Tottenham Hotspur made good use of the U21 player option.

According to A.1.189 of the Premier League Handbook, squads can consist of up to a “maximum of 25 players” of which as many as “17 may not be Home Grown Players”. The Handbook further explains what counts as an Under-21 player in A.1.219, which is anyone born on or after 1 January 1999 for the 2020-21 season. Under-21 includes both contract and scholar players, in other words players at all the ages in the academy.

Thanks to a bolstering in the number of home-grown status players and some smart use of the Under-21 option, Tottenham have a squad that is strong, deep, and prepared for emergencies.  If you continue reading in the Premier League Handbook, you find out that teams can register up to 15 players at the U21 level and a further 15 at each subsequent age level in the system.

While the odds of Kallum Cesay or Eddie Carrington playing this season are slim; the odds of Dennis Cirkin and Harvey White decent that they get a run-out with the team. Cesay and Carrington are both with the U-18 side, but you never know who Jose will bring on the bench. White and Cirkin on the other hand are technically part of Spurs U23 side (although both still under 21) and have a much greater chance of appearing at some point during the campaign.

Outside of the longshots and hopefuls, the Under-21 list also has at least two first team squad players who are near 100% likely to play for the senior team this season in Japhet Tanganga and Jack Clarke. In other words, Jose Mourinho and Spurs will not be limited by the initial 25 listed and have real depth beyond that. So, who is in the official squad and not?

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