Tottenham won the 2024/25 Europa League to salvage what was a historically poor campaign in the Premier League, and the main protagonists were their nucleus of young talent. Winger Brennan Johnson delivered the lone goal in the final against Manchester United, while the center back pairing of MIcky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were unstoppable in the must-win knockout matches against Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodo Glimt, and Man United.
Spurs have learned over years of underperforming that the key is to invest in a nucleus of young players with the potential to become legitimate top stars in the Premier League. It is better to roll the dice on high-upside prospects like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall and then whiff on them, rather than bloating the squad with overpaid veterans or players with limited potential.
With Champions League football on the horizon after a 17th-placed finish in the Premier League, Tottenham are facing a very pivotal transfer window in the history of their club. According to a report from Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Tottenham aren't going to deviate from their new transfer policy of focusing on young gems with high potential. That will be their focus on the market this summer, and they will not bow down to the temptation of short-term signings even with Champions League football returning for them.
Youngsters can help Spurs short-term more than overpaid veterans
It's a wise strategy. As Van de Ven, Bergvall, and others have shown the Spurs faithful over the last couple of years, these young talents are often more likely to immediately contribute than some of the more hyped and more expensive "name-brand" additions, such as Richarlison and Timo Werner. And whereas the latter end up with diminished value and no place in the team, players like Bergvall can only get better and better.
Tottenham just have to make sure they sign the right players and balance their young signings between talents around the teenage years with high future potential and players around the age of 23 who also have great potential but are more ready to start games for a club of Tottenham's stature and ambition within the next season or two.
As long as Tottenham stay the course and don't get discouraged by a couple of flops here and there, the wins on the transfer market will slowly add up into a cohesive, ascending squad with great team chemistry that can be readily refreshed with tuned-in scouting networks year after a year. It's a process that Tottenham have to learn to trust if they want to truly have a team come together that wins titles like the Premier League or Champions League one day.