Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood has backed a 17-year-old Spurs star to impress in the first team, as he labelled him “one to watch” for the season.
Spurs are coming into this season in a better place than they did last term. After two 17th-placed Premier League finishes in a row, they’ve recruited well, with Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke the big arrivals.
Tottenham are also known to be advancing on deals for Manchester City pair Savinho and Omar Marmoush.
Their arrivals would transform the attack and turn the north London club into a very competitive outfit for the season.
But according to Sherwood, there’s a man in Spurs’ academy who could hit the heights this season.
He said on Sky Sports: “I’m hoping we’re talking about this player, Luca Williams-Barnett at Tottenham, the 17-year-old. I know he’s very young.
“I think he deserves the opportunity to play. I think he’s as good as, even though he’s not played at the level, but he’s got the swagger, he’s got the ability enough to play in that team.
“I’m not saying he can play every single week, but I certainly think, like Max Dowman, who we talked about last year, he can play 10-15 games.
“I think Luca Williams-Barnett will be the one to watch.”
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Williams-Barnett’s similarities with Dowman
Dowman is a unicorn in the quality he had since being 15 years old when he made his Arsenal debut. He’s likely in line for more appearances for the Premier League champions this season and won’t look out of place when he makes them.
Williams-Barnett is perhaps not on quite the same level, but having made his senior debut as a 16-year-old and impressed in the under-18s when he was just 15, it seems he could indeed have an impact on the first team.
He’s shown that in Tottenham’s pre-season, when he scored in the 2-2 draw with Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Having played only one competitive game for Spurs’ senior side so far – against League One Doncaster Rovers last season – there’s still a long way until he makes himself a fixture of the first team, but having impressed between the last campaign and this one, there might well be scope for Williams-Barnett to be given more minutes by Roberto De Zerbi.