All set to start for England in their international friendly fixture with Italy this evening in Turin, man of the moment Harry Kane is the talk of the Football Transfer Tavern right now.
Having struck 29 goals in all competitions for Spurs this term, the Chingford-born striker is having the same kind of impact that Gareth Bale enjoyed in the 2012/13 season where our resident Arsenal fans again branded their North London foes a ‘one man team’.
His remarkable rise culminated in an immediate goal on his senior international debut for the Three Lions who comfortably dispatched of Lithuania in a Euro 2016 qualifier at Wembley on Friday night – and after just 79 seconds after emerging from the bench to boot!
It has been a remarkable turnaround in form for Harry Kane who has previously enjoyed loan spells earlier in his career with Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City.
Since usurping Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor as Spurs’ go-to man up top under Mauricio Pochettino earlier in the season, Kane hasn’t looked back and alongside Ryan Mason, the forward has given Tottenham fans real pride in seeing two locally-born stars firmly establishing themselves in the first team.
But who else can Tottenham fans look forward to seeing emerge from their academy ranks while following in the footsteps of Kane in future seasons? We’ve identified five Spurs kids who have a good chance of doing so.
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Click on man of the moment himself Kane to reveal the top five Spurs kids who could follow his lead.
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Josh Onomah
Perhaps boasting the most first team experience of any of the five entries on our countdown, Spurs’ young attacking midfield starlet Josh Onomah has been involved in Tottenham’s first team on multiple occasions, featuring as an unused substitute two times this term – away at Burnley in the FA Cup and away at Besiktas in the Europa League.
Replacing Andros Townsend after 75 minutes the FA Cup replay at White Hart Lane against the Clarets, Onomah is being eased into the Tottenham first team gently.
Standing at nearly 6 ft 0 in, Onomah has been described by some of our avid Spurs fans as a ‘lite’ version of Paul Pogba in his playing style at present.
If he turns out anything like the Frenchman in the coming years, Spurs could have a very good player on their hands, or alternatively, a very healthy sum of money made on his sale!
William Miller
Not your average footballer, 18-year-old centre forward William Miller has actually been living something of a double life up until now, cutting his teeth as an actor in the likes of Oliver Twist and Runaway before joining Spurs full-time in 2013.
Performing at Leyton Orient prior to moving to White Hart Lane, Miller is yet to appear in Spurs’ first team as yet but has been allocated a squad number (53) for the first time this season.
Perhaps he could be the ideal candidate to follow Kane’s lead in the future, such is his position up top, although he can also be deployed in an attacking midfield role.
Connor Ogilvie
First appearing in Tottenham’s first team squad as an unused substitute in Spurs’ Europa League two-legged defeat to Benfica at Estadio da Luz last term, ginger-haired Ogilvie hasn’t been part of Mauricio Pochettino’s first team squads this term but the left / centre back is still highly-rated in North London.
Born in Harlow, Ogilvie has represented England at youth level and performed for the Three Lions’ Under-16 ranks in the Victory Shield under Kenny Swain back in 2011.
At present, Ogilvie faces a hard task to force his way into Spurs’ first team plans with Danny Rose and Ben Davies currently competing at left back.
Daniel Akindayini
Handed a first team squad number (51) this term, 19-year-old forward Daniel Akindayini is of Nigerian heritage and has been at Spurs since he was aged just eight.
Lauded by former Tottenham youth coach Alex Inglethorpe, Akindayini was Spurs’ leading goalscorer (15 goals in 27 games) at Under-18 level last term and given his successes there, has gone on to establish himself in the Under-21 ranks.
Our resident Tottenham fans think that a place on the bench in the Premier League will occur sooner rather than later given his prolific form, much like Kane himself.
Harry Winks
Like Onomah and Ogilvie mentioned previously, Harry Winks is another name in a batch of exciting young stars who are being gently eased into Tottenham’s first team reckoning.
Our resident Gooners laugh at the name, recalling the stutter of Spurs’ winking former manager Harry Redknapp but the player himself is proving a vital cog in Tottenham’s Under-21 ranks.
A central midfielder, who can also be deployed on the right or in a central attacking role, Winks appeared as a late substitute in the home fixture against Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League earlier this term and before that was an unused substitute on two occasions in the Premier League last term, against both Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion respectively.
His exposure to the first team environment will prove vital in his development at Spurs over the coming seasons.
