Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Thanks to a club equaling run of 6 straight Premier League victories, Tottenham have once again found themselves in the top four. Because of that their seems to be an air of rejuvenation around the club after their disappointing exit from the Champions League earlier in the season.
It would have been all too easy for the club to enter in a negative spiral of results but Mauricio Pochettino has worked hard to make sure that the club’s season is not defined by failure to make the knockout stages of Europe’s top club competition.
When you add the fact that the club will soon be moving into a newly constructed home then the future looks very bright in the white half of North London and with this club being a conveyor belt of promising talent as of late, it’s also a great time to a youngster looking to break into the first team squad.
That’s because Mauricio Pochettino has a track record of giving youth a chance with the likes of Josh Onomah and Harry Winks being given their chance to shine at White Hart Lane since the Argentine took charge of the club back in 2014.
And you would have to imagine they certainly will not be the last youngsters who will be given the opportunity to make their mark at the top level, so with that said let’s now look at the next three youngsters who are ready to break into the first team
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Tottenham are seemingly well stocked with centre backs at the moment with four internationals vying for two or sometimes three starting berths but they could soon be adding a fifth to their ranks with the emergence of Cameron Carter-Vickers
The 19 year old is yet to make his full debut for the United States national team but with two call ups to the senior squad at the tail end of last year that will surely only be a matter of time before he does so and adds an ever growing list of internationals at White Hart Lane.
Earlier in the season, Carter-Vickers made his first team debut in the EFL Cup as they made easy work of Gillingham on their way to a 5-0 win. He has been limited to just cup appearances this season with three to his name including the recent F.A. Cup victory at home to Aston Villa.
Although he is yet to feature in Premier League action he has been a part of match day squads this season and with an injury to Jan Vertonghen during their scintillating win over West Brom last week then his chances of a first ever league outing over the next few weeks may well have increased.
Marcus Edwards
Another promising prospect on Tottenham’s books is that of Marcus Edwards, the 18 year old attacking midfielder being earmarked for big things in the future with Mauricio Pochettino going as far as to compare him with compatriot Lionel Messi.
Edwards who has been with the club since the age of 8 was the subject of a lot of interest from leading clubs across Europe last year. That was due to negotiations in regards to his first ever professional contract took longer than expected. Thankfully though pen was finally put to paper last August.
With his future at the club confirmed, he was then given the opportunity to show what he can do in the club’s Pre-Season fixtures in Australia and impressed in the cameo role he had against Italian giants Juventus in the International Champions Cup.
Like Carter-Vickers he also made his first team debut against Gillingham in the EFL Cup coming on as a late subsititute. A first team start will probably elude him this season but with the club paired at home to Wycombe in the 4th Round of F.A. Cup then there is every chance he could once again be given a run out in the final few minutes.
Shayon Harrison
With Vincent Janssen not living up to the expectations that his £17m transfer fee would bring, it’s almost as if Tottenham are back to square one when it comes to not having enough to choose from in attack. Some fans feel that they may have to purchase another forward in this transfer window but they may already have the answer.
Because waiting in the wings is the hot prospect of 19 year old Shayon Harrison. The young forward would be lucky enough to make his first team debut as a late substitute earlier in the season as Spurs were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Liverpool.
As the Dutch international Janssen’s confidence seems to drain further away with every appearance he makes now may well be the time to for Mauricio Pochettino to blood Harrison into the first team fold. The Londoner who possesses a mean left foot strike has been terrorising many defences while representing Tottenham at youth level.
If Tottenham are to once again challenge for the title for the season then they will have to hope that their talisman Harry Kane stays fit, but if the unthinkable does happen then it may well provide Harrison the perfect opportunity to shine.
