The new Dele: Spurs have an elite academy star who’s up there with Vuskovic

Will Tottenham Hotspur play in the Premier League next season? That is the million dollar question.

This has been a tough and interminable season for Spurs, with years of poor decisions leading to a genuine relegation battle. Roberto De Zerbi has lifted them out of the drop zone, but with two games remaining, 18th-place West Ham United are breathing down their rivals’ neck.

With Xavi Simons out and James Maddison shorn of match fitness as he makes his return from a year of ACL recovery, Tottenham need all they can channel over these final few weeks.

And that’s not just in attack, but defence too, with Micky van de Ven tasked with holding down the fort in Cristian Romero’s continued absence.

Luckily, Luka Vuskovic will return to north London this summer, and the Croatian defender may even establish himself as the cream of the crop.

How Vuskovic compares to Van de Ven

Vuskovic, 19, is one of the most exciting young defenders in the world, and though Tottenham secured his signature back in 2023, he still hasn’t played a competitive game for the Londoners.

Out on loan in Germany, the Croatian is thriving, looking very much the superstar for his Bundesliga outfit. There’s no question that he has the potential to step in alongside Van de Ven after Romero leaves, though the Premier League is a different ballpark for so many hopefuls.

However, given that the teenager is already playing at an elite standard, hailed last year by content creator Fiago as “the best 18-year-old center back I’ve ever seen in my life“, he should make the grade for De Zerbi.

To be honest, there’s a case to be made that Vuskovic would outshine his Dutch peer in Tottenham’s defence next season, potentially enjoying a better campaign for Hamburg than Van de Ven did for Wolfsburg back in 2022/23, leading to Ange Postecoglou overseeing a £43m transfer in July 2023.

He’s arguably Tottenham’s most exciting up-and-comer, but he’s certainly not the only one, with a Dele Alli-esque attacking midfielder looking to make a name for himself next season.

Spurs’ new Dele is up there with Vuskovic

While a tumble down into the Championship would allow Luca Williams-Barnett to earn more opportunities in De Zerbi’s Tottenham side, there’s a case to be made that the 18-year-old has what it takes to make his mark in the Premier League.

Williams-Barnett is an incredibly talented attacker, capable in the middle of the park but at his rip-roaring best when deployed behind the centre-forward, picking out passes and using his skilful footwork to weave into promising positions.

Hailed as part of the “special generation” of academy talent rising up to the fore down Hotspur Way, Williams-Barnett might even be the cream of the crop, someone who can rival Vuskovic for the crown over the coming years (hopefully in the Premier League).

This season, he’s scored 16 goals and supplied eight assists from 19 matches for the Spurs development side, making his senior debut as Thomas Frank’s Tottenham passed Doncaster Rovers in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

He has been described as “one of England’s best talents” after all, and with that in mind, the teenager might just grow into a superstar of the same quality as Dele in his Tottenham heyday. Wouldn’t that be something?

The 30-year-old playmaker was genuinely one of the most awe-inspiring youngsters to emerge in the Premier League, tearing opponents to shreds after his £5m move from MK Dons as a youngster. Williams-Barnett has a similar aura about him, and the youthful emergence, partnered with Vuskovic’s return, might be exactly what the Lilywhites need.

Dele might no longer be lashing them home for the Tottenham persuasion, but fans aren’t soon going to forget just how brilliant the England international was under Mauricio Pochettino’s wing.

In Williams-Barnett, Spurs might just have a rare kind of No. 10 with the potential to thrive in a similar manner, rivalling Vuskovic for the top spot at the club.