Roberto De Zerbi is now at the helm at Tottenham Hotspur, but despite a summer of great promise, they are still a considerable distance from replicating the days of Mauricio Pochettino.
Not since the Argentine was in charge at White Hart Lane have Spurs looked like they are capable of competing at the top.
Why? Well, a cycle of managers certainly hasn’t helped. Neither has their recruitment. Many years on, they are still searching for their next Harry Kane, their next Christian Eriksen and their next Dele Alli.
What made Dele so special
It is desperately unfortunate how Dele’s career has played out in recent years. Ten years ago he scored that goal against Crystal Palace, firing home a delicious volley.
Now, he’s a free agent, a player linked with clubs in the Championship. That dream the attacking midfielder had of playing at the 2026 World Cup also never materialised.
Once upon a time, however, Dele was England’s best young talent. His ball-carrying and finishing ability was akin to Jude Bellingham. Yes, he was that good.
After trading MK Dons for Spurs in the winter of 2015 for just £5m, it did not take him long to hit his stride. During his debut season at Premier League level, he scored ten goals and registered eight assists.
It got even better a season later. Dele netted 18 times in the league and registered a further nine assists. Across all competitions, his goal tally was a whopping 22.
After another impressive campaign in 2017/18 followed but it was in 2018/19 that his form started to deteriorate. It was the departure of Poch and the arrival of Jose Mourinho that proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
Sadly for the England international, he never discovered his best form and eventually left in 2022. Spells with Everton, Besiktas and Como have since failed to spark a revival.
How Spurs have failed to replace Dele
Tottenham have a bad habit of selling their best players and then failing to replace them adequately.
While Harry Kane was going to be impossible to replace, it would be safe to say that the decision to bring in Dominic Solanke as his heir has not gone well. He scored just six times during an injury-hit 2025/26 campaign.
On the left, Heung-min Son still hasn’t been replaced, even if they did bring in Omar Marmoush over the summer.
In attacking midfield, they are still trying to fill a void left behind many years ago not just by Dele but also by Christian Eriksen.
In truth, they have come close. Before his lengthy injury lay-off, Dejan Kulusevski was up there with some of the best creators in the top flight.
|
Tottenham’s Dele Alli replacements |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Fee signed for |
|
Dejan Kulusevski |
£25m |
|
Bryan Gil |
£21.6m |
|
James Maddison |
£40m |
|
Lucas Bergvall |
£8.5m |
|
Xavi Simons |
£51m |
|
Mohammed Kudus |
£55m |
|
Mateus Fernandes |
£85m |
Likewise, Xavi Simons looked like a sensational acquisition just over a year ago. His form, however, was not great during his first season in London. He ended last term with six goals and seven assists before rupturing his ACL.
So, with the Dutchman injured and Kulusevski and James Maddison battling back to full fitness, where is the next Dele coming from?
The new Dele is emerging at Spurs
In recent games, De Zerbi has taken the decision to put Mateus Fernandes in the number 10 role.
It’s not his favoured position, nor is it his best one. It makes the decision even more puzzling, particularly as the manager admitted after the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa that he “didn’t like the performance” the midfielder delivered.
So, how can they solve that problem position? Well, they could turn to one of the best talents emerging from the academy, Luca Williams-Barnett.
Just 17 years of age, the attacking midfielder has been billed as Tottenham’s answer to Max Dowman and it is clear to see why. This is an extraordinary talent with the world at his feet.
For the U21s last term, Williams-Barnett scored 16 goals in 20 appearances. He also supplied eight assists.
While he was only afforded one three minute cameo in the Carabao Cup, he got his chance to showcase his qualities during pre-season and he more than took his opportunity.
After scoring a ridiculous panenka penalty in a shoot-out with Sydney FC, Ben Davies could only wax lyrical about the teenager. He said: “He’s a really top player. He’s got a lot of potential. I think you can see the qualities that he’s got. I think the next step is developing his habits in the game but to have a player like him that’s got no fear, that has the confidence to try things in games, doesn’t get affected if he loses the ball. I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Davies wasn’t the only one to compliment Williams-Barnett. De Zerbi described him as a “precious diamond” and it’s not a surprise to see why.
This attacking midfielder is full of goals, he’s full of creativity and he’s got dribbling skills that even Mousa Dembele would be proud of. In the view of GOAL journalist Sean Walsh, there are even “shades of Dele” to his play.
In 45 minutes against MK Dons in pre-season, he attempted six dribbles and supplied three key passes. A game later against Auckland in New Zealand, the youngster had as many as five shots.
He then scored in their final pre-season game with Hoffenheim. After making such a big impact, it is rather surprising that he has only played 12 minutes for the first team in competitive action this season.
Still, do not be surprised if before too long, he is a regular. He’s already blowing everyone at Tottenham away with his qualities.