Former Tottenham sporting director Frank Arnesen has admitted he is "surprised" by the north London club's progress this season.
Spurs are on course to secure their highest ever Premier League finish this season and are fighting for the title under Mauricio Pochettino's stewardship.
The Argentine coach has built his team around an array of homegrown players, with his willingness to field youth widely heralded as a key part of Tottenham's success.
Arnesen spent just one year at White Hart Lane during the 2004/05 season before joining capital rivals Chelsea and has been impressed by the progress that has taken place in N17.
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“I must say I am surprised about Tottenham," said the 59-year-old. "They have done so well because they have also a lot of young players.
"They brought [Dele] Alli in, [Christian] Eriksen who is still only 23-years-old, Harry Kane who came from nowhere."
Arnesen has also praised Tottenham's vigorous fitness regime, which has been used to help London marathon charity runners prepare for this weekend's gruelling course through the capital.
“Pochettino, he has done fantastic work. The way he is training is very, very demanding.
"I spoke to Christian Eriksen about it and he said I have never been so tired in my life after the first two months and was not very good last year in the first two months.
“But you can see, I watched the game against Stoke, they won 4-0. It’s unbelievable the way they are playing football. It would be a fantastic achievement (if they win the league).
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"It would be nice because I worked at Spurs for one year, which I had great fun with," he added.
Spurs are five points adrift of leaders Leicester with only four games left to play.
Claudio Ranieri's side could extend their advantage to eight points with victory against Swansea this weekend as Spurs are not in action until they host West Brom on Monday night.
