Tottenham Hotspur have had the entire international break to mull over their disappointing 1-0 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road in the Premier League.
The Lilywhites went into that clash off the back of three successive victories in the top-flight, but they were unable to continue their positive momentum.
That 1-0 loss means that Roberto De Zerbi‘s side have now failed to score in five of their ten matches in the Premier League, scoring ten goals in total.
Luca Williams-Barnett only played 12 minutes off the bench in the loss to Leeds, but his recent cameos suggest that he is heading for the starting line-up sooner rather than later.
Luca Williams-Barnett is heading for the starting XI
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder first got supporters excited by delivering exceptional performances at academy level, with 40 goals and 22 assists in 51 appearances at U18, U19, and U21 age groups combined.
His only first-team appearance in the 2025/26 campaign came as an eight-minute cameo against Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup for Thomas Frank.
De Zerbi finally gave him his Premier League debut against Coventry City in the 3-1 win at the end of October, and he caught the eye by putting the ball on a plate for Mohammed Kudus to score, only for the winger to miss from point-blank range.
Williams-Barnett already looks like he is heading for the starting line-up after creating one ‘big chance’, completing one dribble, and creating two chances in 14 minutes across two Premier League outings.
As exciting as the England youth international is as a young talent, he does not look set to follow in the footsteps of Gareth Bale, who previously became a superstar as a young player at White Hart Lane.
Why Luca Williams-Barnett is different to Gareth Bale
Williams-Barnett is a different type of attacking player to Bale, both in position and style. That does not mean that he cannot go on to be a superstar, but it means that he will not be a like-for-like second coming of the Welshman.
The Englishman is a right-footed attacker who can play as a number ten or on the left flank, and he relies on his technical quality and fluid movement to wriggle past players and create openings for himself.
Bale, however, was a left-footed forward who was effective because of his physical qualities and the power that he played with, on top of being outstanding with the ball.
|
Gareth Bale’s Spurs career |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Appearances |
|
LM |
120 |
|
LB |
42 |
|
RW |
30 |
|
LW |
14 |
|
SS |
9 |
|
CF |
2 |
|
AM |
2 |
He started his Spurs career as a left-back, after joining from Southampton, before quickly progressing further up the pitch to become the world-class attacking player that set the world alight at Real Madrid later on in his career.
Spurs are brewing their next Gareth Bale
Whilst Williams-Barnett is not a similar attacking talent to Bale, there is another player in the club’s academy set-up who could emerge as the new version of the Welshman.
18-year-old left-back Harry Byrne started his youth career with the club as a central midfielder before finding his place in the side as a full-back in recent seasons.
The Ireland youth international, who trained with the first-team in pre-season, has shown the same kind of attacking traits that led Bale to play further up the pitch as he progressed in the first-team.
In 50 appearances for the club at U18 and U19 level combined, the left-footed star has scored three goals and provided 12 assists from a left-back position.
|
26/26 EFL Trophy |
Harry Bryne |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
|
Pass accuracy |
87% |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
2.5 |
|
Dribble success rate |
71% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
4.0 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
65% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
67% |
Byrne’s performances in the EFL Trophy for the U21s so far this season have also shown signs of Bale-esque potential, as he created one ‘big chance’ and completed five dribbles in two appearances.
The 18-year-old prospect has the physicality to compete against EFL sides, winning 65% of his ground duels and 67% of his aerial battles, whilst also having the dynamism and technical quality to dribble past defenders and create chances for his teammates.
He is just as exciting as Williams-Barnett, due to his attacking output as a defensive player, and De Zerbi should consider giving him a first-team chance in an attacking position.
Bale emerged as a superstar at White Hart Lane after making the transition from left-back to the wing and Byrne should follow in his footsteps at Spurs this season.
His exceptional assist record at youth level and his ability to win duels and dribble past players suggest that he has the potential to be an effective winger for the Lilywhites, which is exactly what Tottenham need after failing to score in half of their league games.
Therefore, De Zerbi should bring the Ireland U19 international into the first-team on the other side of the international to see if he can make the step-up to the Premier League.
