It might not feel like it at the moment, but the future might be quite bright for Tottenham Hotspur.
Now, it’s true that, at least domestically, this season has been nothing short of a disaster. The club sit 14th in the Premier League, and Ange Postecoglou’s future looks increasingly uncertain with every passing week.
However, while several senior players could and should be moved on in the summer, the club have also seen a crop of up-and-coming youngsters step up.
Lucas Bergvall already looks like one of the team’s best midfielders, Mikey Moore has been tremendously exciting whenever he’s made a cameo, and Archie Gray has played like someone ten years older.
In fact, it already feels like a sure bet that the latter will be a superstar for the North Londoners, and in even more exciting developments, Hotspur Way might be developing him a future teammate who’s won comparisons to Mousa Dembélé of all people.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Gray's Spurs future
Tottenham decided to spend around £30m to sign Gray from Leeds United last summer, and while it was an enormous amount of money to spend on someone who was just 18 at the time, it’s a fee that’s now starting to look like a steal.
The Durham-born gem was already an important first-teamer for the Peacocks last year, and while there was an expectation that he’d play more of a bit-part role for the North Londoners this season as he settled into life in the capital, injuries forced the manager to hand him more and more game time.
While most teenagers would have understandably crumbled under the pressure of playing for one of the country’s biggest clubs during such a turbulent campaign, the 19-year-old has looked entirely at home and has arguably been more composed than some of his senior teammates.
Centre-Back
19
Right-Back
7
Left-Back
5
Defensive Midfield
3
Other
3
Moreover, as he did at Elland Road, the “future England player,” as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, has had to primarily play in the backline for the Lilywhites, making 19 appearances at centre-back, seven at right-back and five left-back, and while he had done brilliantly, he isn’t a defender.
The 6 foot 2 gem is first and foremost, a midfielder, with him spending the vast majority of his time in youth football playing in the middle of the park. So, while he can do a job at the back, his ability on the ball and passing range can be utilised far more in the middle of the park, and as Mattinson said last season he’s a “future £100m” star.
Furthermore, the academy might just be producing his perfect midfield partner in a gem previously compared to the incredible Dembélé.
Spurs' next great central midfielder
This season has seen Bergvall, Moore, and Gray break into the Spurs’ first team, and next year, they could see the same thing happen to Tyrese Hall.
The former Chelsea prospect joined the Lilywhites at the under-8s level and has progressed all the way through to the U21s, where he is thriving this season.
However, before we look at his stats and how he could form a partnership with Gray, it’s worth looking at this comparison to Dembélé and where it has come from.
Well, in this case, it stems from respected Spurs writer Alasdair Gold, who, on his own YouTube channel last summer, described the teenage talent as “Mousa Dembele-esque.”
Now, that is undoubtedly high praise indeed, but Gold gives further explanation for this comparison, saying that he’s “very composed and calm” on the ball and that, like the Belgian icon, he’s “very good at using his body to turn and twist” and “aware of what’s around him and how to use his body to twist and turn and get into pockets of space.”
On top of the stylistic similarities, the Hotspur Way gem also primarily plays in central midfield, which is where he could form an exciting dynamic with the former Leeds gem, with him being the more adventurous of the pair.
Appearances
20
Minutes
1610′
Goals
6
Assists
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
Minutes per Goal Involvements
161′
For example, in just 20 appearances this season, totalling 1610 minutes, the 19-year-old prospect has scored six goals and provided four assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game, or every 161 minutes.
Just imagine him moving up and down the pitch while Gray plays ever so slightly deeper to help mop up attacks and bring the ball out of the defence to pass to him.
Ultimately, Spurs may be a bit of a mess at the moment, but due to the number of incredible youngsters they have coming through, such as Hall, the future looks bright.
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