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Tottenham should avoid Williams-Barnett deal after what I saw happenwith ‘incredible’ forward

Luca Williams-Barnett has the potential to become a future great at Tottenham.

It is not every day that a football club produces a talent levels above his peers, but the Lilywhites have done it, and he is brilliant.

Williams-Barnett made his debut for Tottenham as a substitute in Spurs’ win over Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup third round and hasn’t looked back.

He is an exceptional talent and one that the Lilywhites must handle with the utmost care, unlike some of their past rising stars.

The rise of Dane Scarlett at Tottenham

Dane Scarlett was Jose Mourinho’s protege while he was head coach at Tottenham.

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He made his senior debut on 26 November 2020 for the Lilywhites as a substitute in their UEFA Europa League match against Ludogorets Razgrad.

Mourinho had nothing but praise for the young starlet while at Tottenham and was convinced he could become the next big thing in the Premier League.

In quotes provided by Soccer News on 25 February 2021, he said: “He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential.

“He is going to be a fantastic player and I hope everything around him goes well. He is a striker, a number nine, I have been playing him from the sides similar to Marcus Rashford and he is very clever.”

I’ve never seen a striker head a ball so well at such a young age. Scarlett never used to cower from the pressure; he embraced it.

But five years later, the England international is playing the odd game with Tottenham’s Under-21s and spends the rest of his days warming Thomas Frank’s bench.

Dane Scarlett never reached superstardom thanks to Tottenham’s mismanagement

I’ll never forget the feeling of sheer and utter pride on 27 July 2022 when Tottenham announced Scarlett would be loaned to Portsmouth.

For the most part, it went well. He netted four league goals for the then League One side and provided one assist in over 2,000 minutes played.

Then Ipswich Town happened, where he made 12 substitute appearances for a Championship side who were hunting Premier League promotion.

Granting minutes to a wide-eyed youngster during such a monumental time in the club’s history was hardly at the top of their to-do list, and Spurs recalled him in December 2023, where he spent most of the season on the bench once again.

His loan to Oxford United during the 2024/25 season followed a similar pattern.

Scarlett made 22 appearances for the Championship side, scored four goals and was recalled by Tottenham halfway through the season, only to sit on the bench before he underwent groin surgery in early May 2025.

If you asked the Lilywhites what went wrong, they’d probably go into a spiel about loan clubs not holding up their end of the bargain. But was it also those teams that refused to play him once he returned?

No, Scarlett’s is a typical case of mismanagement at the highest level, where a player was loaned for a third time in the hope that doing something the exact same way will somehow, someway produce a different outcome.

It was rookie behaviour, make no doubt about it, and the same cannot happen with another, arguably more talented rising star.

Where does this leave Luca Williams-Barnett?

I’ve heard it all before: ‘Scarlett needs just one loan from Tottenham to kickstart his career’. And maybe he does, I just don’t want the club to take that chance with Williams-Barnett.

Frank has said the Lilywhites are in a rebuilding phase. Adding one block at a time, and right now, he’s in the defensive stage.

He wasn’t being untruthful; it’s clear as day in Spurs’ Premier League statistics this season, according to Sofascore.

The attack needs work. Spurs have netted 1.9 goals per game from 1.4 big chances, which is a 0.5 underperformance.

If you asked fans, they’d probably tell Frank to get a move on, and he would likely respond for them to trust the process. But if you asked me, I’d say the midfield is probably next, and that’s where Williams-Barnett comes in.

The 17-year-old recorded 32 goal contributions in 23 games for the Under-18s last season and 13 in 10 matches this season. He is as efficient in front of the goal as he is creating for his teammates and can weave out of tight spaces in the blink of an eye.

If Frank is in the process of squad building at Spurs, would it not make sense for him to have all of the parts?

And given the fact that Williams-Barnett recently signed his first professional contract at Tottenham, it’s safe to say that the Lilywhites hierarchy sees him as one of those parts.

Therefore, the time to integrate him into the first team is now, while Frank is still moulding his team. Not when the dust is settled and the squad is fixed to the point that not even the most talented of youngsters would earn their place.

Cristian Romero has been heavily criticised for something that he did away from Tottenham on Saturday.

The Lilywhites star was named as club captain by Thomas Frank at the start of the season, who opted to hand him a more important role after he was briefly linked with a move away during the summer transfer window.

Tottenham looked like they may lose Romero at one stage this summer, with the defender attracting sustained interest from Atletico Madrid, but they were eventually able to agree a new four-year deal with him.

He has proven his worth with his performances on several occasions so far this term, but that has not made him exempt from criticism on this occasion.

Cristian Romero ‘lost his head’ during Argentina vs Venezuela

Romero is one of several Tottenham players who are away from the club on international duty this week, as the World Cup qualifying campaigns take another step towards their conclusion.

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The centre-back has once again been part of Argentina’s squad during this international break, and he played all 90 minutes of his side’s 1-0 win over Venezuela on Saturday.

The two South American nations faced off in a friendly at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, with a first-half goal from former Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso the only difference between the two sides.

Romero played a key role in the team as usual, but his performance for Lionel Scaloni’s side has come in for criticism, despite playing his part in the clean sheet.

GOAL slammed the Tottenham star in their player ratings, saying that he was “up for the fight, but rather lost his head here and there.”

The former Atalanta man was handed a 6/10 rating, which was an identical rating to Bolavip Argentina’s assessment of his performance.

However, they were a little more appreciative of Romero’s efforts, saying he was “solid and reliable as usual.”

Tottenham captaincy has helped Cristian Romero

Romero has always toed the line at Tottenham in terms of the fiery nature of his game, but his role as captain appears to have helped him to cut the moments of madness out of his game in recent weeks.

The 27-year-old plays the game close to the edge, and that has boiled over at times, but it is becoming an increasingly infrequent occurence now.

Romero’s additional responsibility for his club has made him a little more placid on the pitch, which should help in terms of his consistency in the backline.

Significant mistakes were a big part of his game at one stage, but he has now formed what is arguably one of the Premier League’s best centre-back pairings alongside Micky van de Ven.

The assessment of his performance on the international stage is perhaps not the most surprising, but it is certainly not common to see him lose focus on the game for Spurs anymore.

Luka Vuskovic has excelled during the early stages of his loan spell away from Tottenham.

The Croatian has been loaned out to Hamburg for the duration of the campaign, and he is already making a big impression in the Bundesliga.

Tottenham have watched on as Vuskovic continues to break records for the German giants, having recently scored their first top-flight goal in over 2500 days back in September.

His performances are already attracting plenty of attention, and that could leave Thomas Frank and Co. with a major decision to make in January.

Tottenham have no interest in ending Luka Vuskovic loan early

Vuskovic’s form may have handed Tottenham a decision to make regarding his future in the January transfer window, given that they have the option to recall him in the winter.

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However, it has now emerged that the North Londoners have no intention of bringing him back from his spell at Hamburg before the end of the season, according to German outlet SHZ.

It is understood that none of Spurs’ chiefs have any interest in ending the loan early at the moment, and the conditions that would allow them to recall him have also been outlined.

The N17 outfit would have to suffer injuries to “at least two defenders” in order for their recall clause to become active, and both issues would have to be relatively serious.

Relations between Tottenham and Hamburg are said to be “exemplary,” with the clubs believed to be regularly in contact regarding Vuskovic’s progress.

The Lilywhites have already watched their starlet on several occasions so far this season, both at home and away games.

Spurs are right to let Luka Vuskovic remain at Hamburg

It is clear that Vuskovic has a huge future at Tottenham, but they cannot be tempted by the idea of throwing him straight into the pressures of the Premier League in the second half of the season.

The centre-back is playing in one of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues for the first time at Hamburg, and he is already showing that he has what it takes to become a key player for a team at that level.

The former Hajduk Split man is in an environment where he is progressing rapidly, and Spurs should certainly not risk damaging that by trying to recall him this winter and throw him into their team.

If Vuskovic continues the excellent form that he is in out on loan, then it feels inevitable that he will be involved in Tottenham’s first team next season.

However, although the temptation will surely be there, recalling him in January could potentially do him more harm than good.

Lucas Bergvall has been criticised after a moment that the young midfielder will desperately want to forget.

Sweden national manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has been full of praise for Bergvall, with the 19-year-old in superb form for Tottenham.

The youngster did not get off the bench against Leeds United last week, but has emerged as a key player for Thomas Frank‘s team.

There has even been talk that Bergvall will become “impossible” to drop for Sweden, with the Tottenham man continuing to prove key for his nation.

Several Tottenham stars are on international duty this week, including Xavi Simons and Micky van de Ven, who have been called up for the Netherlands.

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Lucas Bergvall in ‘100 out of 100’ miss claim

Sweden’s chances of qualification for the World Cup next year are at serious risk, and Friday’s loss to Switzerland has only further intensified the pressure on Tomasson.

Goals from Granit Xhaka and substitute Johan Manzambi would ultimately put the game out of reach, but Sweden should have been ahead through Bergvall.

With just a few minutes of the first half remaining, Liverpool’s Alexander Isak nicked the ball away from Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji and drove through on goal.

Spotting Bergvall, the striker played the ball across the goal for what looked to be the easiest goal the youngster would ever score.

But with the goal gaping, the teenager inexplicably stepped on the ball and fell past it, allowing the Switzerland defender to clear.

Sportbladet journalist Erik Niva was in disbelief watching the moment live, and said: “I can’t think of any comparable miss in this arena. That’s a goal; he’s just going to score it into an empty [net].

“It’s an unimaginable miss. He scores 100 out of 100 goals, but this was the 101st.“

Bergvall moment marred promising performance

Fotbollskanalen said that the midfielder “failed to convert two crucial chances“, and that “after his blunder at the end of the first half, he was unrecognisable”.

Whilst Svenskafans wrote that Bergvall “was Sweden’s best player”, but that he “burned two open goals”.

Tottenham will hope the moment will not prove defining for the teenager himself, with Sweden set to play Kosovo on Monday.

Tyrese Hall has impressed while on loan at Notts County this season.

Tottenham have had some mixed degrees of success with their loanees thus far.

After a slow start, Yang Min-Heyok has been excellent for Portsmouth, while there have already been calls for Mikey Moore to return to Tottenham from Rangers.

Tottenham loaned Hall to Notts County over the summer, and unlike Moore, he has gotten off to a splendid start.

Tottenham should not recall Tyrese Hall

The rising star has netted four goals in four games for Notts County, which has resulted in pleas for Tottenham to recall Hall from his loan spell.

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Spurs have lacked an attacking edge in the midfield with both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski sidelined for Tottenham, and there are hopes that he could be the answer.

However, Tottenham expert and Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes Spurs should not recall Hall under any circumstances.

“He’s probably played six senior games his entire life, men’s football games,” Wenham said.

“So no, he can’t come in for Joao Palhinha or Rodrigo Bentancur, who’s played 175 times and has scored winning penalties away to Brazil and things like that. No, he can’t.

“You won’t find a bigger advocate of youth players than me, but I’m just telling you as a fact, he needs games. He must go out this year.

“The idea that we can just drop people in front of midfielders who have played 500 senior games, it’s just madness. So no, he can’t come in now and play first-team Premier League football.”

The talented young midfielder has been excellent while on loan. But a few more seasons away from North London to hone his craft wouldn’t hurt in the slightest.

Tyrese Hall is a player Tottenham will need in the future

All Tottenham fans are guilty of it. It’s seen with demands for Wilson Odobert to step up under Thomas Frank or Mathys Tel to seize the starting striker spot from Richarlison.

These players are all under the age of 21 and yet are expected to play as if they’re in the prime of their careers.

Players like Lamine Yamal have distorted perceptions of what true career progression looks like for youngsters. Most will not enter the scene as the fully packaged product, nor should they be expected to.

While Hall is an excellent young talent, he is definitely one Tottenham will need and have to save for the future.

How Kevin Schade compares to Tottenham attackers amid new transfer developments

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank could turn to his former club, Brentford, for a new attacking recruit.

Tottenham tried to hijack Bryan Mbeumo’s move to Manchester United, to reunite Frank with his star attacker in North London.

That move failed, but the Spurs boss could turn to another star from his old employers to complement the options in his squad.

Kevin Schade is another winger that the Tottenham boss developed, and he could make the move to the Europa League champions.

Tottenham monitoring Kevin Schade ahead of potential Brentford swoop

Tottenham still need attacking recruits, as Frank bolsters his squad to try and compete for the highest honours.

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Florian Plettenberg reported on 10 October that Spurs are monitoring the German ahead of a potential move in the summer of 2026.

He stated that the 23-year-old is contracted to the Bees until 2028, but the Lilywhites have shown their interest.

How does Schade compare to current Tottenham stars?

Schade can play from the left or lead the line, and he could offer Spurs something which they do not currently possess.

Last season, he ended up with 11 goals and two assists, one more contribution than Dominic Solanke, with only Brennan Johnson being the only remaining N17 star to beat Schade’s tally in the division.

The German has scored one goal in the league so far this season, which matches the figures of Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus.

However, Richarlison and Johnson both have more strikes in the competition, the Brazilian has three, and the Welsh international has two goals.

Schade is averaging 1.4 shots per game, which is only beaten by Richarlison and Kudus among Spurs’ attackers.

The Bees ace averages 0.9 key passes per 90 minutes, a figure which only Kudus can better from Frank’s current options.

Schade’s numbers are encouraging, and playing alongside better players in North London should only increase them, so it is a move that makes sense for Frank and Co.

The fact that he has previously worked with Frank and he is keen to reunite with him, suggests that the boss knows exactly where he fits in the team.

Tottenham have seen their academy go from strength to strength in recent seasons.

The Lilywhites have always had one of the country’s best youth systems, but in recent years, it has begun to consistently churn out gems who are capable of quickly making the step into first-team football.

Mikey Moore was the latest Tottenham starlet to fully break through into the first-team fold last term, as he dazzled before his 18th birthday, and has since headed out on loan to Rangers for the season.

The winger is still very much finding his way in the game, but Thomas Frank and Co. already appear to have another youngster on their hands who is capable of matching his feats.

Luca Williams-Barnett can follow Mikey Moore pathway after new contract

Luca Williams-Barnett is widely regarded as one of Tottenham’s most exciting young prospects at the moment, and he has already had a taste of first-team action.

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Frank introduced the attacking midfielder from the bench for his senior debut in the latter stages of the Carabao Cup win over Doncaster Rovers, in what was undoubtedly a special moment for the starlet.

He has since been awarded his first professional contract at his boyhood club, which was announced the day after his 17th birthday at the start of October.

Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes that Williams-Barnett will follow a similar path to Moore, and begin to be involved with the first team more regularly before being loaned out next year.

“I think he (Williams-Barnett) is as talented as it gets,” Wenham said.

“He’s been involved and made his first team debut already. I could see a very similar trajectory to Moore, being involved with the first team, maybe at the start of next season as well and then maybe next January looking for that first loan out to carry on developing.”

Tottenham must avoid Mikey Moore loan repeat

Tottenham loaned Moore to Rangers at the start of this season, and his struggles north of the border have been well publicised in recent weeks.

The wideman has found it difficult to adapt to such a high-pressure environment at Ibrox, and perhaps needed to go somewhere that is a little more sheltered for his first experience away from his parent club.

Spurs have seen the likes of George Abbott and Tyrese Hall flourish in the EFL recently, and that may have been a more suitable initial grounding in hindsight.

With that in mind, when the time comes for Williams-Barnett to head out on loan, they must ensure that they don’t effectively bite off too much for him to chew when it comes to their selection of a loan club.

Developing young players is about being patient and considered with your approach, and they risk ruining a bright young talent by trying to do too much too soon.

Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to build momentum under Thomas Frank.

his Tottenham side sit third in the Premier League, with Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha proving to be excellent signings under the Danish manager.

Sixteen Spurs players were called up for international duty, with Frank hoping for all of his players to maintain their fitness whilst playing for their country.

Former Premier League manager Stuart Pearce was shocked at how badly one Spurs player played on Thursday, as he watched on from the stands.

Stuart Pearce criticises Brennan Johnson’s performance in England vs Wales

England eased to a 3-0 victory against Wales at Wembley, with all three goals coming within the first 30 minutes.

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Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Bukayo Saka’s strikes compunded the misery on Brennan Johnson, who started on the right wing for Wales.

Johnson was ineffective when trying to get past Spurs teammate Djed Spence and was eventually substituted in the 76th minute.

An unforgivable stat showed that Johnson failed to win a single duel in the match, losing out on all three that he was involved in.

Speaking on talkSPORT on 10 October, Pearce slammed Johnson for what he saw from his performance whilst at Wembley for the match.

He said: “I was really, really disappointed with Brennan Johnson, both in possession and out of possession.

“It was as though he was looking after himself for next week’s game, that’s how it looked to me.”

Wales have a crucial World Cup qualifier against Belgium on 13 October and Johnson may have had one eye on that match instead of focusing on the friendly against England.

After the match, Spence poked fun at Johnson’s performance after getting the better of him on the night.

Johnson has been criticised for his poor start to the season with Spurs, with the 24-year-old not proving to be effective despite scoring two goals in the league.

His pass accuracy of 73.8 per cent is woeful, whilst he has often been on the periphery of matches, registering only 111 touches in his first seven matches.

What isn’t helping Johnson is Kudus’ impressive early-season form, meaning he must step up his standards soon under Frank.

Brennan Johnson must replicate Mohammed Kudus’ form

The lack of chance creation has been a real issue for Johnson, having only created three opportunities in seven Premier League matches this season.

Kudus leads the way for Premier League assists, with his total of four providing a stark contrast to Johnson’s zero.

The 24-year-old is perfectly capable of replicating last season’s form, where he registered 22 goal contributions in a struggling side.

He is clearly finding it difficult to adapt to Frank’s new system, yet his outing at Wembley will certainly not do him any good.

Dele Alli once lit up the faces of Tottenham supporters with his exploits in North London.

Alli was one of Tottenham’s best players between 2015 and 2020, but he has had a rapid downfall from that.

The Tottenham sensation joined Everton on a free transfer deal that had the potential to rise to £40million if certain clauses were met, but he could not revive his fortunes.

He then spent time with Besiktas on loan, before leaving the Blues for Como, but was released in September 2025 after making just one appearance for the Italian club.

Maddison sends Dele Alli message away from Tottenham

Alli was once a star man at Tottenham, but has since endured a number of fitness woes with his body letting him down as he attempts to continue his career.

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Alli took to Instagram a video of him training in a bid to get fit again, with the hashtag “positive vibrations.”

Maddison replied to the post, with a fire emoji and a shaking hands emoji, sending a message to the ex-Spurs ace.

Tottenham fans want Alli to come back

There had been rumours that Alli was set to retire from the game after being left out of Como’s Serie A squad before he was released, but the latest video appears to squash that speculation.

Some Spurs supporters have called for the club to bring him back to North London, either in a full capacity or just to train with the side.

One fan commented on the interaction between Maddison and Alli, saying: “Have a word with Frank see if Dele can train with us. He may well thrive back where he belongs.”

Another simply said: “bring him back.”

One supporter urged the manager to do just that, saying: “Thomas Frank go and get the lad.”

It would be a nice thing for the Lilywhites to do, in terms of sentiment, but given where he is at right now as a player, a proper footballing return seems to be out of the question.

He brought a lot of joy to supporters in N17 when he emerged as a superstar after signing for the club, but those days are long gone, and he is a shadow of the player that he once was.

Any talk of a return is surely wishful thinking at this stage, and Spurs would surely opt against offering him a deal, like has been suggested by some fans.

Dominic Solanke has hardly featured for Tottenham so far this season as he continues to struggle with an ankle injury.

The striker last took to the pitch for the Lilywhites in the 2-0 win over Manchester City way back in August, and has since suffered consistent setbacks in terms of his recovery.

Solanke was a key player for Tottenham last season, as his 16 goals saw him end the campaign as their top scorer across all competitions.

However, the 28-year-old has been limited to nothing more than a bit-part role during Thomas Frank’s reign so far, which has been a source of great frustration for both him and the manager.

Summer surgery could have eased Dominic Solanke’s issues

Solanke’s absence for Tottenham has been persistent in recent weeks, but there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel for the former Bournemouth star.

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The frontman recently underwent minor surgery at the start of October with the view to correcting the issue for good.

That surgery has been confirmed as a success and the England international will now need to begin building up his fitness so that he is ready to return after the international break.

However, Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes that Solanke’s absence could have been minimised had he undergone surgery for the recurring injury over the summer.

“Had Solanke had surgery during preseason, maybe he’d be back now,” Wenham said.

“It’s just frustrating. I’m not a physio, maybe it’s right that you try everything to avoid the surgery, and as a last resort, that’s what happens. But it’s frustrating because we need him desperately.

“He cost a lot of money last year and scored a lot of goals against all the big teams. Whatever people say, for me, he’s comfortably our best striker and a very good striker at that.”

Tottenham need Richarlison replacement back from the treatment table

Richarlison’s form for Tottenham has dipped once again in recent weeks after a bright start to the campaign, and the Brazilian is surely now beyond his last chance to impress in N17.

Spurs have suffered extremely bad luck with the fact that the injuries to Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani have coincided with each other, and have left them without an alternative option to lead the line.

When that duo return to full fitness, it is surely a no-brainer for Frank to push Richarlison down the pecking order in favour of two players who are two genuine top-quality finishers.

Tottenham have lacked firepower at times so far this term, but that will soon change if they can quickly clear their injury list.