A busy summer of transfer business is over for Tottenham Hotspur, but injuries to James Maddison and Xavi Simons have left the Lilywhites short in one area.
It seems Spurs have bolstered pretty much every area of their squad apart from central attacking midfield (or the No.10 role). Jan Paul Van Hecke and Marcos Senesi are new faces in defence, Matheus Fernandes and £100m man Sandro Tonali are the fresh midfield pairing, while Savio and Omar Marmoush add quality to Roberto De Zerbi’s attack.
However, with the passing of deadline day, De Zerbi may be left wishing he had added a playmaker to his roster. Still, the solution could be right under their nose.
James Maddison 2.0
Tottenham fans waited a long time to see James Maddison return to the field after a spate of injuries last season. They got their wish when the 29-year-old came on as a substitute in the opening day defeat to Brentford, but it wasn’t long before he was causing concern once again.
After the game, De Zerbi confirmed (via London Evening Standard) that Maddison had “suffered a small injury in his shoulder,” and it’s thought he could be out for a couple of weeks at least. Speaking to the club website, the Spurs boss added: “I think with James, we have to find the right plan… We have to work consistently for three, four weeks, and then he's a different player - a different player on the pitch, outside the pitch.”
It says it all that Maddison has completed just five full 90-minute games for Spurs since signing for the club in 2023. That’s a real problem, especially considering Tottenham’s other option in that position, Xavi Simons, is out of action until at least early 2027, having suffered the same ACL injury as Maddison, only seven months later.
There is one positive to take from the current Tottenham injury list, however, with Dejan Kulusevski finally back in full training after more than 15 months on the sidelines. Spurs will have to be patient with the Swedish ace, but he could well fill that number 10 role when he’s back to his best.
In the meantime, it looks like Matheus Fernandes will be filling the gap, but that’s far from ideal and not where he has been signed to play.
Ten regrets
After signing so many players this summer and rebuilding the squad to De Zerbi’s liking, many had expected that a number 10 would be among the new additions. It wasn’t to be.
Morgan Gibbs-White has long been linked with Tottenham, but he stayed at Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, the likes of Cody Gakpo and Iliman Ndiaye were strongly mooted as potential signings, and they could have eased the pressure in the space behind the striker, but the Liverpool man stayed at Anfield while Ndiaye ended moving to Man City at the last minute.
It could be that Tottenham go for a playmaker in January instead, but by that point, will it be too late? Spurs have the potential to challenge at the top this season given the quality of the squad, but not having adequate options in the number 10 role will limit them.
In Luca we trust
But Tottenham could already have a solution to their problem, and it’s staring Robert De Zerbi right in the face. While the Italian coach clearly favours experience over everything, particularly Premier League pedigree, he’s also taken a liking to Tottenham’s teenage sensation, Luca Williams-Barnett, who plays centrally as an attacking midfielder/forward.
Fans in N17 are already raving about the 17-year-old, and rightly so. He’s already flown through the youth ranks and has found himself on the fringes of the first team since the second half of last season. A strong pre-season with plenty of minutes has seen Williams-Barnett’s stock rise further, while he’s already made an appearance for the Lilywhites this term in the 5-1 win over Charlton in the Carabao Cup, coming off the bench after 78 minutes.
Spurs have pedigree for producing highly-rated youngsters. Harry Kane is a prime example, but the likes of Alfie Devine, Dane Scarlett, Troy Parrott, Harry Winks, and Oliver Skipp have all tried and failed to make the necessary impact in North London. Mikey Moore and Jamie Donley could still do that, but they’re now out on loan, leaving Williams-Barnett as the most promising prospect in the building right now.
Giving the teen substantial minutes this season would not be a token gesture. He absolutely has the quality needed to finally become the next big academy graduate at Tottenham. Williams-Barnett’s skillset includes dazzling dribbling, incredible vision, and an unbelievable level of swagger and flair for someone so young. He’s the kind of maverick Tottenham – and indeed, any club – dream of producing. To let him tread water in the reserves this season would be criminal.
Spurs cannot let another exciting young talent stagnate until he decides to move on in search of first-team football. Instead, De Zerbi needs to embrace the vitality and fearlessness Williams-Barnett brings and allow this rough diamond to flourish. Adding a splash of youth could be the perfect way to balance what is a very experienced team.
Williams-Barnett is the kind of player who can produce moments of magic, something Spurs have been severely lacking in the last couple of years. While Maddison and Simons are injured, it would surely make sense to give a homegrown talent his chance, rather than shoehorning other midfielders into a role they’re not comfortable in.
The supporters would love to see Williams-Barnett get an opportunity; the player himself would almost certainly rise to the challenge, and it could well be the kind of decision that ends up saving Tottenham tens of millions of pounds.
