Tottenham Hotspur have plenty of football left to play in the Premier League before they can fully turn their attention to the summer transfer window.
Spurs have six matches left to play in the top-flight in their race to secure qualification for the Champions League, by breaking into the top four.
They are currently six points behind Aston Villa, who are fourth, but have two games in hand and could move ahead of Unai Emery's men if goal difference swings their way and they win both clashes.
Ange Postecoglou's side, therefore, still have a big target to hit between now and the end of the 2023/24 campaign, which means that the bulk of the focus should be on performances on the pitch.
However, the Lilywhites are also reportedly eyeing up possible targets to bolster their squad in the summer window, with Daniel Levy and Postecoglou now looking at an impressive young centre-forward.
Tottenham's interest in red-hot "wonderkid"
According to Football Insider, Tottenham are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign Brisbane Roar number nine Thomas Waddingham this summer.
The report claims that the club are in pole position to secure a deal for the talented youngster, who has caught the eye in Australia so far this season.
It states that Spurs are leading the race to secure his services ahead of a number of unnamed Premier League clubs, which speaks to how impressive the striker has been this term as he has earned interest from a host of teams.
Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are also said to be leading the pack in regards to interest from Germany, as they look to bolster their youth ranks.
Football Insider claims that Postecoglou was alerted to Waddingham, who was described as a "wonderkid" by journalist Pete O'Rourke, through his contacts in the A-League, having managed in his home country previously.
The report states that the striker has been in 'red-hot' form in recent weeks and adds that interest could continue to grow in the forward over the weeks to come before the end of the European season.
This means that Spurs may have to act quickly to take advantage of themselves being in pole position to sign the attacker, as they would otherwise risk other teams coming in to snap him up from under their nose.
Tottenham have, of course, already landed one exciting young talent for the summer, as Lucas Bergvall is due to officially join from Swedish Allsvenskan side Djurgarden in July.
They could now land a player who is as exciting as the 18-year-old maestro by beating Bayern and other teams from the Premier League to Waddingham.
Lucas Bergvall's form in Sweden
The central midfielder made his first-team breakthrough in Sweden during the 2023 campaign to alter Tottenham to his quality, and they swooped to sign him just after the close of the January transfer window.
His form throughout 2024 so far has justified the club's decision to snap the young gem up and may leave supporters excited about what he could achieve in England in the future.
Bergvall made 25 appearances, starting 11 of those games, in the Allsvenskan in 2023, and has been a regular starter at the beginning of the current campaign.
He has started all four of his league appearances this term and caught the eye with his superb work out of possession – winning 56% of his duels and making 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game.
That is alongside 2.8 completed dribbles per match and a pass accuracy of 87%, which shows that the midfielder can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.
Appearances
5
Goals
3
Assists
4
Key passes per game
2.0
Pass accuracy
92%
Dribble success rate
76%
As you can see in the table above, the right-footed magician has been on fire in the domestic cup in Sweden, with seven direct goal contributions and a sublime pass accuracy of 92% in just five games.
These are all superb statistics for a player who only turned 18 in February playing senior football, which speaks to his fantastic potential and why Spurs decided to sign him.
Why Thomas Waddingham is an exciting talent
The club could now land an equally exciting addition to their youth ranks by moving for Waddingham, who has already made an impact at first-team level in Australia.
He burst onto the scene in the senior team at the start of this season and made his presence felt straight away with a fantastic run in the Australian Cup.
The teenage striker scored four goals in five games and – at 18 – became the youngest goalscorer in the final of the tournament with his close-range finish against Sydney FC, in a match that his side went on to lose 3-1.
This suggests that the in-form attacker, who is wanted by both Spurs and Bayern Munich, has the quality and the mentality to turn up in big matches to make a difference in the final third.
His breakthrough came after a return of seven goals and two assists in 15 matches for Brisbane U21s in the NPL during the 2023 campaign, which earned him a chance in the A-League for the 2023/24 season.
Appearances
22
Starts
18
Goals
6
Assists
1
Penalties scored
0
As you can see in the table above, the 19-year-old centre-forward has established himself as a regular starter this term and chipped in with six non-penalty goals in 18 matches.
This means that the teenage whiz has scored ten goals in 23 starts across the league and cup for Brisbane Roar this season, which is a fantastic return for a young player in his first campaign at senior level.
Therefore, Waddingham is another exciting young talent who could be signed by Tottenham as a long-term project for Postecoglou to work with, rather than someone to make an immediate impact in the first-team.
Bergvall and the Australian youngster are both terrific youngsters under the age of 20 and could initially link up with the U21s or go out on loan before emerging as options for the Spurs boss in the future.