Mathys Tel was starting to heat up again, but just as soon as the Tottenham Hotspur forward got his momentum going with a grand performance against Chelsea, including a game sealing goal, and another solid display in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, he went down with an injury after a brutal tackle in a loss to Leeds United that should have been a red card.
Spurs were visibly worse without Tel, but if the Frenchman were to miss any time for the Lilywhites coming off the November international break, there is a chance that the talented left winger does not reclaim his starting job on that side of the formation back.
Not only is a returning Savio an option to start on the left wing with Mohammed Kudus on the right or Omar Marmoush an option on the left with Dominic Solanke manning the middle in the starting 11 again, but Tel's real worry has to be Luca Wiliams-Barnett.
Luca Williams-Barnett has a starting opportunity
The fans' preferred alternative to James Maddison at the No. 10 if the former Leicester City man still can't get healthy after a groin injury a couple of weeks ago vs. Chelsea, Williams-Barnett is the young sensation everyone is rooting for and also appears to be an option many fans want to see starting, especially on the left wing if Mathys Tel can't go.
Williams-Barnett has now made two Premier League appearances for Roberto De Zerbi after being their biggest gem of the preseason, and he was so good in just two minutes against Crystal Palace that Spurs fans want to see more and more.
And with Tel injured, more minutes should be coming for LWB. His athleticism, skill, courage on the ball, and quality are remarkable, and he has even more upside than Tel does when looking at how instinctive he is and what he can do on the ball.
It is a stretch to write Luca Williams-Barnett as a starter with permanent marker, because, after all, he has not even started a single game for Spurs yet. And in truth, it's not like he did much against Leeds United, though nobody else did - and it's not like he had a real chance.
All the same, Tel has to be looking over his shoulder at Williams-Barnett. Because if LWB can provide more dynamism, creativity, and, most of all, consistency, which has evaded Tel thus far at N17, then his job could very well go to the homegrown attacker.
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