White or Whiteman, Who Gets Last Spot on Tottenham Bench?

Thanks to squad decisions, injuries within the team, and expanded rosters in UEFA competition Tottenham Hotspur can bring youth or 3 keepers to face LASK.

Tottenham Hotspur have 28 first team players –not on loan and with numbers – and three of those players are not in the club’s Europa League Group Stage player list. Gedson Fernandes and Paulo Gazzaniga were left out in favor of other players while Joe Rodon did not join the team until after the deadline. The differing association deadlines is why someone like Cameron Carter-Vickers is in the squad and Rodon is not, despite the fact CCV is now out on loan.

Regardless that leaves 25 players on the first team for this initial match in the Europa League Group Stage against LASK. However, Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga are both out injured. Now we are at 23 players, exactly the amount you are allowed. However, to get to that 23, Spurs have 3 keepers Hugo Lloris, Joe Hart, and Alfie Whiteman. This is where the decisions get interesting, do you keep Whiteman up and have 3 keepers or do you reward one of the youth team players with a spot on the pine?

If the decision were mine to make, I would bring Harvey White and leave Whiteman at home. The odds of needing a third keeper are slim – although we have seen Kane done the gloves before. However, the odds Spurs need some help in the backend of the midfield is a bit more likely. Currently there are more attacking midfielders in the side – Dele, Lo Celso, Lamela, and Ndombele – than there are defensive or holding midfielders – Hojbjerg, Winks and Sissoko – despite the fact Tottenham play almost every game with two deep lying midfielders, the overall balance is still missing.

With this potential hole in mind, I think I would bring Harvey White along for the ride. White was solid in the preseason, particularly showing that he could shine when others were not doing so in the final friendly with Watford. If Oliver Skipp were not on loan this would be different, but Skipp is on loan and White is in both the Premier League and Europa League squads, so why not give it a shout.

In the perfect world, Harvey White and Jack Clarke make their season debuts at about 70 minutes along side Gareth Bale, so it is a moment to remember for both young men and the future of the club. Of course, hanging on to the lead at that point will be important too, but losing another like that seems unlikely, even for Spurs – everyone knock on wood.

Anyway, that is my choice, bring Harvey White and hopefully get him, Clarke, and others get some nice run out leveraging the five substitutes. What would you do?