The young Tottenham Hotspur squad requires patience on behalf of the fans and also the chairman. This is a squad full of potential, but one also with some way to go before truly achieving the expectations and hopes of Spurs fans.
Take last year’s Capital One Cup final, for example; Spurs fielded a side with an average age of 24 years and three months, which was three years and nine months younger than Chelsea’s team. Therefore, there’s no surprise that Chelsea beat Spurs 2-0, and later went on to lift the English Premier League title. By the age of 28, most players are in their prime or just approaching their peak. Therefore, with that logic, the Spurs squad is at least two years away from reaching any dreams.
Tottenham’s most influential player on the pitch is just 23. Christian Eriksen isn’t a seasoned professional that knows a way out of every situation; he won’t be playing every game to his highest ability, because he hasn’t reached his peak yet. Give it a few years’ time, and who knows how consistently brilliant Eriksen could be for Real Madrid! Oh, hang on…
Pochettino is building a mostly home grown, promising squad. There is going to be so many bumps on the road to glory, but Daniel Levy must simply overlook these. Young players make mistakes. Even Mauricio Pochettino may make mistakes by putting his head above the parapet by fielding a player who isn’t ready for first team action yet. Pochettino himself is a relatively young manager; but, doesn’t this provide all the more promise? Can Levy finally put his axe away and let Pochettino work his wonders on the team?
The only way forward for Spurs is through these young players. After all, which players would want to join a Europa League-ridden club in their prime, when they could go to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, earning both top dollar and have the chance to win titles? Okay, there have been a few exceptions; Rafael van der Vaart being one of them. But, overall, Tottenham’s access to quality in-form players is going to be severely limited by their rivals.
Most importantly, Spurs have a new stadium being constructed. A rumoured sum of £400m is thought to be how much the stadium costs may exceed. This is a huge wedge of money, and, again, takes a massive chunk out of the transfer budget. A football club has to be sustainable; this stadium will undoubtedly be a big plus when it’s built, but, in the meantime, there is going to be a stagnant period to be able to pay for the construction – stagnant only in the sense of big names coming into the club. Instead, said names will be unearthed out of the hallowed turf at White Hart Lane by those young Tottenham players, who pull on that Lilywhite shirt and play for the fans and the club. Sure, there could be a few players who don’t match the fans’ expectations and may be booed off at half-time, but there will be players like Harry Kane too, who can inspire and light up the pitch with their goals and performances. Admittedly, Kane is a marvel to behold, and players like him don’t come around that often. But, after Spurs fielded five Academy graduates in the Capital One Cup final, why won’t there be more like Kane? Spurs have the facilities to nurture and mature the young stars.
It’s always exciting to be a Tottenham fan, but if Levy can keep his faith in Pochettino, then Spurs could have a squad capable of achieving something in the next two seasons. Most of all, though, the young Spurs squad requires patience.
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