Tottenham best youngsters: Next Harry Kane, ball-playing defender and record-breaker

Ange Postecoglou has some extremely bright talents coming through the ranks at Spurs
Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP16 November 2023

When Ange Postecoglou was named Tottenham head coach in June, he was mandated with not only improving the club's style and culture but re-establishing the pathway from academy to first team.

Postecoglou has already shown a willingness to use young players - thrusting Destiny Udogie, 20, and Pape Sarr, 21, straight into the side - and he will hope to blood talent from the academy in the months and years ahead.

So who are the best young talents currently at Spurs? Here, Standard Sport assesses the young stars for whom there are high hopes.

Jamie Donley

Forward, 18

Donley is a technical forward who has earned lofty comparisons with Harry Kane, in part due to his habit of drifting between the No9 and No10 positions.

The 18-year-old is enjoying a stellar season and has already been on the bench for the Premier League games against Liverpool and Wolves, raising the prospect that he could soon make a senior debut - particularly given Spurs' mounting injury list.

He was named the Premier League 2's player of the month for October and already boasts six goals and 11 assists from just 11 appearances this term, including three in the EFL Trophy.

Donley regularly trains with the first team squad and impressed Postecoglou, although the Australian has said the teenager has "a long way to go" and suggested a loan move is likely to be the next step in his development.

Tottenham's future under Ange Postecoglou looks very bright
Getty Images

Alfie Dorrington

Defender, 18

On the bench for the defeat at Wolves at the weekend, the 18-year-old is an impressive ball-playing centre-back who frequently trains with the first team.

He is a regular for the Under-21s this season and was a pivotal part in the club's successes last term in the Premier League Cup at both U17 and U18 level.

In the U18s final against Aston Villa, Dorrington ran from his own six-yard box to set up Donley's goal in a clip which was widely shared by excited Spurs fans on social media.

Many supporters would like to see him blooded in the first team soon, although the teenager is currently behind summer signing Ashley Phillips, also 18, in the pecking order and, like Donley, may be sent on loan before he is given a chance for the seniors.

Mikey Moore

Forward, 16

The silky forward is still just 16 but was a key part of the club's Premier League Cup double last season, scoring twice in a 5-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the U17 final to really outline his credentials as the next big thing at Spurs.

Later that month, Moore made his debut for the U21 side aged just 15, becoming the youngest player in the modern era to appear for Spurs at that level.

He signed a new contract in June, considered a major coup for Spurs given the interest from a host of rivals in luring Moore away from his boyhood side, where he has been since the age of seven.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in