Tottenham Hotspur are a club built around top young players growing together and becoming more than the sum of their parts, and as Spurs revolutionize into finally becoming a top tier team every year in the Premier League, they will try their best to keep that identity and continue to believe in their academy players.
The 17 year old Luca Williams-Barnett has been tremendous in the attacking midfield in the preseason so far, shining in two games with a bravery and a quality of the shot that will bode very well for his future. Williams-Barnett is skipping past defenders, taking players on, and creating chances for others with an intention to go for the difficult pass to actually create a goal.
Already, Tottenham supporters are beginning to see Williams-Barnett as a key player for the near future, not just a distant one, and like Luka Vuskovic last summer, the young man is using the full gamut of the offseason and its opportunities to show his serious potential.
Roberto De Zerbi knows ball
Tottenham first team manager Roberto De Zerbi has certainly taken notice, and he gave the teenage prospect huge praise after another highly impressive performance for Tottenham Hotspur in their 2-0 win over Auckland FC.
De Zerbi said, via Lilywhite Rose, “Luca is a big talent, very young, big talent”.
"Big talent". That is all that needs to be said by De Zerbi about Luca Williams-Barnett for the message to be loud and clear, and perhaps the older players in the midfield like Pape Matar Sarr should be even more worried about their futures.
Williams-Barnett looks like the heir to somebody in the middle of the park. He can progress the ball, create chances, and exhibit the sort of press resistance that made certain Spurs players highly successful at the club over the years.
Just 17 years of age, Williams-Barnett has a lot to prove against higher level competition, but there will be opportunities out there for him, either on loan in the near future like what Luka Vuskovic got last year or maybe even with the first team itself with all the cup games available.
Clearly, De Zerbi sees something he likes in Wiliams-Barnett, and he is going to give the midfield man more time to spread his wings, especially this preseason. There will be more growing pains, but it is great to see De Zerbi acknowledge him as a big time talent.
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