Tottenham Hotspur are finally expected to have a real No. 10 back in their starting 11 next week when they take on Coventry on Monday Night Football, as James Maddison got in another 20 minutes or so off the bench in the 1-1 draw over Manchester United. While Conor Gallagher has worked hard for the team, his inability to create chances or show adequate technical quality in the final third, which was the key reason Chelsea got rid of him in the first place, has continued to rear its ugly head this season for Spurs.
While Tottenham work hard in possession, press well, and can now suffocate and dominate teams, they are still in the relegation zone through six Matchdays in the 2026/27 Premier League season because they cannot create high quality chances, let alone score them when they do get them. Maddison finally starting his first game since his torn ACL in the 2024/25 season will be massive, as will the impending return of Dejan Kulusevski from his own serious knee injury in 2025 in November (and then the main man, Xavi Simons, should be back in January or February of next year after tearing his ACL at the end of the last season).
But in the meantime, Tottenham did actually have another option at the 10 besides Gallagher or even shoehorning young defensive midfielder Mateus Fernandes into an unnatural position. Young prospect Luca Williams-Barnett was one of the team's best overall players in the preseason and a huge story for Spurs as a potential early breakout prospect, showing quality on the ball and a fearlessness in using his skill that made Spurs fans intrigued as to the role he could play this season as a homegrown player in the squad.
Tottenham Hotspur could have definitely used him instead of Gallagher or Fernandes and at least seen what this special talent could offer, but Roberto De Zerbi has only given him a few minutes in the League Cup this season and nothing else - not even when Spurs could have used a spark, even if only off the bench, in the Premier League.
But De Zerbi has praised LWB frequently, and he did so again recently in the build up to the Coventry game, via Alasdair Gold of Football.London, "Special talent. Special personality also, because he's arrogant, but arrogant good for football because you have to believe in yourself. Not forgetting to be humble. Humility but believe in yourself, and the right example is Luca."
Tottenham fans are seeing Roberto De Zerbi tease using Luca Williams-Barnett time and time again, but they frustratingly are not seeing the potential spark actually get minutes. Spurs will be boosted by James Maddison in the 11, but he is not ready for a full 90 minutes yet. Williams-Barnett, even if he doesn't start, can help this team by beating defenders, destabilizing the defense from the middle, and create more than what Conor Gallagher can. It's time to give him a shot.