The silly season is upon us as Tottenham Hotspur get linked with every possible transfer going in the summer window but they must not forget their own
The summer transfer window brings the chance of rebirth, a new dawn, but sometimes those within a club can get lost amid the excitement and it's no different at Tottenham.
Spurs need to be something different next season and there's no doubting that. Another 17th place finish in the Premier League and a woeful January window mean the north London club must strengthen in the weeks and months ahead. There is also a new head coach in the shape of Roberto De Zerbi, who will enter this summer window with all the power in his hands to get what he wants after saving the Lilywhites from relegation as well as their pride and that feared £250million or so in lost revenue.
New signings will arrive through the doors with Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi tipped to complete free transfers and Tottenham returning for Manchester City winger Savinho in an attempt to try to add him to their offensive weaponry.
With the potential move for the Brazilian and football.london reporting last week that Spurs are likely to add another striker to their ranks, with Richarlison's future in doubt as he approaches the final 12 months of his contract, the new additions are certainly needed and there will be others, but De Zerbi and the club must also be wary of blocking the long-term prospects of two of their own.
Savinho can play on either wing, but is more naturally a left-sided player. Tottenham's need for another left-footed attacker was clear last season but it's also worth pointing out that they have a big talent for the future in that very position in Mikey Moore.
The 18-year-old starred on loan at Rangers this season, picking up the PFA Scotland Premiership Young Player of the Year and Rangers' Young Player of the Year awards. Moore played 47 matches for the Glasgow giants across the season, with 11 goal involvements despite the team's inconsistent form as Danny Rohl used him in a left-sided playmaker role.
Rangers fans would love to have him back next season but football.london understands there's a lot of interest in the teenager from clubs both home and abroad.
It will be down to De Zerbi to decide whether the teenager needs another season away from N17. The absence of European football at Tottenham in the coming year means the new head coach will have fewer minutes to share around. You could say he needs a smaller, tighter squad but after the injury woes of the past three seasons, that's a dangerous route to take.
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De Zerbi will have a similar decision to make when it comes to Will Lankshear. The 21-year-old striker caught the eye with 12 goals despite Oxford United's struggles in the Championship as they were relegated. He took home a double at the club's end of season awards with the men's Golden Boot and Young Player of the Year prize after he played 47 matches with 16 goal involvements in all.
The striker also bulked up this season with the physical demands of the Championship and De Zerbi will surely want to take a look at him in pre-season to decide whether he's ready for the Premier League.
There's always the dilemma to be had when it comes to transfer windows. Fans naturally want exciting new signings but they also want to see their homegrown products given minutes. Unfortunately the former often cancels out the latter.
Tottenham's problems with club trained players will not affect them this coming season as it's in European football where it hits them. However, they must start thinking about the future and ensuring they do not get into the same problems as previous campaigns with numerous expensive players left out and unable to be registered.
There's also the simple fact of having an academy but not having a clear pathway from it. You'd struggle to count enough Spurs academy players who have broken through for regular football over recent seasons to fill one hand, if you can think of any at all. There's a couple of others like Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp in the past, but let's be honest most people are probably only going to think of Harry Kane.
Not a single academy product started a senior competitive match this season for the north London side. A handful like Dane Scarlett, Jun'ai Byfield and Callum Olusesi got about half an hour of football each amid the depth of the injury crisis, mainly because there was nobody else available, while Luca Williams-Barnett and James Rowswell got a couple of minutes from the bench each at the end of games.
It's not good enough. The academy must do better in what it produces but there's also evidence that when they do produce good players, there's no route through for them.
Noni Madueke will head to the World Cup this summer with England having decided as a teenager that he was not going to break through at Spurs, leaving for PSV Eindhoven instead. Troy Parrott is a wanted man by many European sides this summer after 43 goal involvements in 49 matches for AZ Alkmaar this season. He was desperate to make it at Tottenham but they had no place for the Republic of Ireland international.
This summer Alfie Devine is expected to depart north London, with many of those clubs chasing him holding Premier League ambitions and the expectation is that he will play at that level. The 21-year-old midfielder, Spurs' youngest ever goalscorer, has been continually farmed out on loan each season with no pathway to break through at his own club.
Ashley Phillips, albeit signed at 18 from Blackburn, has just been nominated for Championship Young Player of the Year while on his second season on loan at Stoke, but has never played a game for Tottenham and it's difficult to see that happening.
The excuse that the pressure is too much for young academy players bears little weight when you look at other bigger clubs using their youngsters in high pressure games and finding a way through. They've also found it clear that using more of your own is a surefire way to build a connection back between the fans and the team.
If Moore and Lankshear are loaned out again this summer then it may well benefit them personally with more regular starts but it's just kicking the can down the road for Spurs. It's the same for Luka Vuskovic, who is not an academy product but is seemingly wanted by everyone outside the north London club, and by many bigger sides, so by logic he must be finally ready to start matches in the Premier League?
It's a problem that Tottenham must address and at least in De Zerbi they have someone who will take a look at young players and has done so in the past. Transfers are much needed at Spurs this summer and they will happen, but it's important that the club's own future is not discarded at the same time.